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DISINFECTION  AND  DISINFECTANTS: 


THEIR  APPLICATION  AND  USE 


Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Disease, 


Public  and   Private  Sanitation 


COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS, 


APPOINTED    BY 


THE   AMERICAN   PUBLIC   HEALTH   ASSOCIATION, 
If 


Cotuor.b,  ft.  J|. 

Republican  Press  Association,  22  North  Main  Street. 
1888. 


UBRART 


PUBLIC 

HEALTH 

LIBRARY 


Copyright,  1888. 
By  Irving  A.  Watson,  Secretary  American  Public  Health  Association. 


t        t  rr  rr        r        r  f 


NOTE. 

This  volume  is  the  result  of  the  labors  of  the  Committee  on  Disin- 
fectants, appointed  by  the  American  Public  Health  Association  in 
October,  18S4.  The  committee  continued  its  researches,  investigations, 
and  experiments  for  three  years,  and  made  its  final  report  in  November, 
18S7. 

Only  by  a  careful  study  of  this  volume  itself  will  the  amount  of  work 
this  committee  performed,  and  its  great  value  to  the  interests  of  health, 
be  appreciated.  The  ability  of  the  committee,  composed  of  men  all 
eminent  in  their  professions,  is  a  sufficient  guaranty  of  the  high  charac- 
ter of  this  work.  The  original  experimental  investigations  made  by  the 
committee  are  of  the  greatest  importance  and  value,  and  render  this  the 
most  complete  and  practical  volume  upon  disinfection  and  disinfectants 
yet  published. 

This  work  was  presented  in  three  annual  parts  :  hence  the  entire  dis- 
cussion of  a  given  subject  may  not  always  be  found  in  one  place.  A 
copious  index  has  been  prepared,  by  which  all  the  matter  pertaining  to  a 

specific  topic  may  readily  be  found. 

I.  A.  W. 


418011 


REPORT 

OF   THE 

COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

1885. 


COMIMIITTEE. 

GEORGE    M.    STERNBERG,    M.  D., 

Surgeon  U.  S.  A. ;  Fellow  by  Courtesy  in  Johns  Hopkins  University. 

JOSEPH    H.    RAYMOND,    M.   D., 

Commissioner  of  Health  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

CHARLES    SMART,    If.  D., 

Surgeon  U.  S.  A. ;   Member  National  Board  of  Health. 

VICTOR   C.    VAUGHAN,    M.  D.,  Ph.D., 

Member  Michigan  State  Board  of  Health. 

A.    R.    LEEDS,    M.  D., 

Member  New  Jersey  State  Board  of  Health. 

W.    H.    W  ATKINS,    M.  D., 

Medical  Director  of  the  Auxiliary  Sanitary  Association  of  New  Orleans. 

GEORGE   H.    ROHE,  M.  D., 
Baltimore. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


GENERAL  REPORT  OF  THE  SECRETARY. 

At  the  last  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Public  Health  Association, 
held  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  October  14-17,  1S84,  the  following  resolution 
was  offered  by  Dr.  James  F.  Hibberd,  of  Indiana,  referred  to  the  Execu- 
tive Committee,  and,  after  a  favorable  report  by  that  committee,  unani- 
mously adopted  by  the  Association  : 

Whereas,  It  is  important,  equally  for  practitioners  of  medicine,  for  boards  of  health, 
and  for  the  general  public,  that  the  highest  attainments  of  science  in  this  department  of 
sanitation  should  be  formulated  for  easy  reference  by  all  who  need  it  for  practical  appli- 
cation, and  especially  is  this  desirable  in  view  of  the  probable  visitation  of  cholera  in  the 
near  future; — therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  by  the  American  Public  Health  Association,  That  a  committee  be  appointed 
to  examine  the  subject  of  disinfectants,  antiseptics,  and  germicides,  in  their  relations  to 
preventive  medicine  and  sanitation,  and  that  said  committee  formulate  a  table  of  these 
agents  for  the  information  of  those  interested,  the  agents  to  be  classified,  so  far  as  may  be 
deemed  advisable,  according  to  their  specific  virtues,  facility  of  application,  and  economy 
of  use. 

In  accordance  with  this  resolution,  the  following  committee  was 
appointed  by  the  president  of  the  association : 

Major  George  M.  Sternberg,  Surgeon  U.  S.  Army,  Fellow  by  Courtesy 
in  the  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore ;  Dr.  Joseph  H.  Raymond, 
Professor  of  Physiology  and  Sanitary  Science  in  Long  Island  College 
Hospital,  and  health  commissioner  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn ;  Dr.  Victor 
C.  Vaughan,  Professor  of  Physiological  Chemistry  in  the  University  of 
Michigan,  and  member  of  the  Michigan  State  Board  of  Health  ;  Major 
Charles  Smart,  Surgeon  U.  S.  army,  and  member  of  the  National  Board 
of  Health  ;  Dr.  W.  H.  Watkins,  Medical  Director  of  the  Auxiliary  San- 
itary Association  of  New  Orleans ;  Dr.  Albert  R.  Leeds,  Professor  of 
Chemistry  in  Stevens  Institute  of  Technology,  and  member  of  the  New 
Jersey  State  Board  of  Health  ;  and  Dr.  George  H.  Rohe,  Professor  of 
Hygiene  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Baltimore. 

The  committee  met  immediately  after  appointment,  and  organized  by 
the  election  of  Dr.  Sternberg  as  chairman  and  Dr.  Rohe  as  secretary. 

In  order  to  be  enabled  to  make  an  extended  experimental  research,  the 
committee,  after  consultation,  decided  to  appeal  to  municipal  and  state 
boards  of  health,  and  to  other  sanitary  organizations,  for  financial  aid. 
Responses  to  this  appeal  were  encouraging ;  and  a  statement  of  receipts 
and  disbursements  on  account  of  this  work  is  appended  to  this  report. 

At  a  meeting  held  in  Baltimore  on  November  20,  1884,  the  committee 


6         *\\  \  Z&potiT;  o£[  q&wmzTEE  on  disinfectants. 

was  divided  into  two  sub-committees, — one,  consisting  of  Drs.  Sternberg, 
Smart,  and  Roh£,  to  examine  the  literature  of  disinfectants,  and  abstract 
and  tabulate  the  results,  and  to  investigate  in  an  exact  manner  in  the  lab- 
oratory the  relative  germicidal  value  of  the  various  substances  used  as 
disinfectants.  The  latter  part  of  the  inquiry  was  exclusively  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Sternberg,  the  chairman  of  the  committee,  who  was 
granted  exceptional  facilities  for  carrying  on  this  work  in  the  biological 
laboratory  of  the  Johns  Hopkins  University.  The  committee  would  here 
take  occasion  to  express  to  the  trustees  of  the  university  its  high  apprecia- 
tion of  the  courtesy  and  aid  extended  by  them  while  these  investigations 
were  in  progress. 

The  second  sub-committee,  consisting  of  Professors  Raymond,  Vaughan, 
and  Leeds,  and  Dr.  Watkins,  was  appointed  especially  to  investigate  the 
practical  application  of  such  disinfectants  as  are  found  efficient,  upon  a 
large  scale,  their  cost,  methods  of  use,  chemical  relations,  effects  upon 
furniture  or  fabrics,  or  their  possibly  poisonous  effects  upon  human  be- 
ings or  animals. 

Reports  and  papers  from  members  of  both  of  these  committees  will  be 
found  under  the  heading  "  Experimental  Data"  in  the  body  of  this  report. 

The  therapeutic  value  of  the  various  substances  investigated  does  not 
properly  come  within  the  purview  of  the  committee,  and  has  conse- 
quently received  no  attention. 

At  the  conference  of  state  boards  of  health,  which  was  held  in  Wash- 
ington, December  n  and  12,  1884,  a  preliminary  statement  of  the  work 
then  accomplished  and  contemplated  was  made  ;  and  in  accordance  with 
authority  received  from  the  executive  committee  of  the  American  Public 
Health  Association,  a  series  of  preliminary  reports  has  been  published 
during  the  present  year,  in  a  medical  journal  of  wide  circulation — the 
Medical  JVews,  of  Philadelphia.  To  Messrs.  Lea  Bros.  &  Go.,  the 
publishers  of  the  journal  mentioned,  the  committee  is  indebted  for  sub- 
stantial aid  afforded  in  rendering  the  results  of  the  committee's  work 
promptly  available  to  sanitarians  and  the  public. 

The  compensation  received  for  the  papers  published  in  the  .Medical 
News  was  kept  as  a  separate  fund  to  cover  the  cost  of  printing  the  report 
herewith  submitted.  A  considerable  deficiency  has  resulted,  responsi- 
bility for  which  has  been  assumed  by  individual  members  of  the  com- 
mittee. George  H.  Rohe,  Secretary. 

FINANCIAL  STATEMENT. 

RECEIPTS. 

From  American  Public  Health  Association, $50.00 

"      H.  Lomb,  Esq., 50.00 

"      W.  G.  Little,  Esq., 50.00 

"      Connecticut  State  Board  of  Health, 50.00 

"      Illinois                   "             "                 50.00 

"      Iowa                        "             "                50.00 

"      Louisiana               "             "                25.00 

"      Massachusetts       "             "                50.00 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

From  Michigan  State  Board  of  Health, $50.00 

"      New  York  "  50.00 


South  Carolina 
Wisconsin 


25.00 
25.00 


"      Provincial  Board  of  Health,  Canada, 25.00 

"      Boston                    "            "                25.00 

"      Brooklyn                "             "                 100.00 

"      Charleston             "            "                25.00 

"      Pittsburgh              "             u                 25.00 

"      Sanitary  Protection  Association,  Newport,  R.  I. 10.00 

"      Members  of  the  committee 12.15 

Total, $747-15 

EXPENDITURES. 

Laboratory  expenses, $264.18 

Salary  of  assistants, 400.00 

Printing,  binding,  and  mailing  Preliminary  Report,  stationery,  postage, 

express  charges,  and  incidental  expenses,       82.97 

Total • $747-15 


PRELIMINARY  REMARKS    BY   THE    CHAIRMAN   OF   THE 

COMMITTEE. 

A  complete  investigation  of  both  disinfectants  and  antiseptics  being 
impracticable  in  the  time  and  with  the  resources  at  command,  the  com- 
mittee decided  upon  so  far  departing  from  the  letter  of  the  resolution 
under  which  it  was  appointed  as  to  limit  its  investigations  to  the  subject 
of  disinfectants,  properly  so  called,  that  is,  to  those  agents  which  are 
capable  of  destroying  the  infecting  power  of  infectious  material. 

In  the  experimental  investigations  made  by  the  writer  in  the  biological 
laboratory  of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  the  biological  test  of  disinfecting 
power  has  been  the  only  one  employed.  In  applying  this  test  a  variety 
of  micro-organisms  have  been  subjected  to  the  action  of  the  various  agents 
under  trial,  and  the  object  in  view  has  been  to  determine,  within  suffi- 
ciently narrow  limits  for  practical  purposes,  the  percentage  in  which 
these  agents  are  capable  of  destroying  the  vitality  of  the  test-organisms  in 
a  given  time.  This  is  determined  by  a  series  of  experiments  in  which 
the  agent  being  tested  is  used  in  a  greater  or  less  amount,  according  as 
it  is  found  to  fail,  or  to  be  effective.  Failure  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
the  test-organisms  grow  in  a  suitable  culture  medium  after  having  been 
exposed  to  the  action  of  the  disinfectant ;  on  the  other  hand,  failure  to 
multiply  in  such  a  solution  is  evidence  that  the  test-organisms  have  been 
killed.  Further  details  with  reference  to  the  method  will  be  found  in  the 
paper  on  k'  Commercial  Disinfectants,"  and  also  in  my  paper  published 
in  the  A?nerican  Journal  of  Medical  Science,  April,  1883,  in  which  I 
give  the  results  of  an  extended  series  of  experiments  of  a  similar  nature. 

Experiments  of  this  kind  require  a  certain  amount  of  technical  skill, 
and  a  very  great  expenditure  of  time.     Results  which  are  recorded  in  a 


$  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

single  paragraph  have  often  been  reached  only  after  making  numerous 
experiments  extending  through  days  or  even  weeks. 

It  would  of  course  be  desirable  to  test  each  disinfecting  agent  upon  a 
variety  of  pathogenic  organisms  ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that,  within  cer- 
tain limits,  differences  in  resisting  power  would  be  found.  But  this 
would  be  a  task  involving  a  still  greater  expenditure  of  time  and  money, 
and  one  which  should  follow  the  more  general  study  which  we  have 
made. 

The  work  already  done  is  sufficient  to  justify  the  general  statement, 
that  in  the  absence  of  spores,  an  agent  which  destroys  the  vitality  of 
one  micro-organism  of  the  class  to  which  known  disease  germs  belong 
will  destroy  all  other  organisms  of  the  same  class,  although  not  neces- 
sarily in  the  same  amount,  or  in  the  same  time. 

The  fact  that  a  certain  agent  destroys  micrococci  and  bacilli  without 
spores  cannot,  however,  be  taken  as  evidence  that  the  same  agent  will 
destroy  spores,  for  these  reproductive  bodies  have  a  far  greater  resisting 
power;  and  certain  chemical  agents — e.  g.,  carbolic  acid,  sulphur  diox- 
ide— which  are  germicides,  in  comparatively  small  amounts,  so  far  as 
micro-organisms  in  active  growth  are  concerned,  are  quite  impotent  for 
the  destruction  of  spores. 

It  has  not  been  possible  to  make  an  exhaustive  study  of  disinfectants, 
and  the  agents  selected  for  experimental  work  have  been  chosen  from  a 
practical  point  of  view,  the  object  having  been  to  fix  as  nearly  as  possi- 
ble the  value  of  those  agents  most  relied  upon  by  sanitarians  for  disinfect- 
ing purposes,  and  the  conditions  of  successful  disinfection  with  them. 

George  M.  Sternberg,  Chairman. 


EXPERIMENTAL  DATA. 
COMMERCIAL  DISINFECTANTS.    NO.  I. 

BY    GEORGE    M.    STERNBERG. 

In  conducting  the  experimental  investigations  of  the  committee  on  dis- 
infectants, the  writer  determined  at  the  outset,  in  the  interest  of  health 
officials  and  of  the  public,  to  ascertain  the  comparative  values  of  the  vari- 
ous commercial  disinfectants  in  the  market.  In  a  recent  paper  by  Wynter 
Blyth,  medical  officer  of  health  for  Marylebone,  in  which  the  commer- 
cial disinfectants,  exhibited  at  the  London  Health  Exhibition,  are  intelli- 
gently discussed,  we  find  the  following : 

Rampant  rides  the  quack  in  the  fields  both  of  preventive  and  remedial  art.  Quack- 
ery takes  a  well  known  common  powder,  labels  it  with  a  grand  mystic  name,  selling  bright 
copper  at  the  price  of  gold.  Quackery  finds  a  stink  outstinking  feebler  stinks,  and  gives 
it  forth  as  a  disinfectant.  Of  all  the  substances  gathered  together  under  the  name  of  dis- 
infectants— solids,  vapors,  gases,  and  odors — a  small  percentage  alone  possess  any  value.1 

*Med.  Times  and  Gaz.,  London,  Oct.  n,  1884. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  9 

This  statement  applies  as  well  to  many  of  the  articles  advertised  as 
''disinfectants"  in  this  country.  But  in  justice  to  the  manufacturers  of 
these  so-called  disinfectants,  we  must  say  that  many  of  them,  which  are 
of  no  use  in  the  sense  in  which  we  use  the  term,  are  valuable  as  antisep- 
tics or  as  deodorizers  ;  and  that  there  is  good  authority  for  calling  a  sub- 
stance which  will  prevent  putrefactive  decomposition,  or  which  will 
destroy  bad  odors,  a  disinfectant.  Many  chemists  and  physicians  use 
the  word  in  this  sense  ;  and  this  is  the  popular  acceptation  of  the  term 
both  in  this  country  and  in  Europe.  We  therefore  cannot  find  fault 
with  those  manufacturers  who  see  fit  to  use  the  word  as  synonymous 
with  deodorizer  or  antiseptic  ;  but  we  must  caution  the  public  that  a  dis- 
infectant from  this  point  of  view  does  not  necessarily  destroy  infectious 
material,  and  that  the  word  is  used  by  this  committee  in  accordance  with 
the  definition  given  in  the  introduction  to  this  report. 

It  has  been  proved  that  certain  kinds  of  infectious  material  owe  their 
infecting  power  to  living  micro-organisms,  which  in  a  general  way  are 
often  spoken  of  as  4*  germs."  A  disinfectant,  therefore,  which  destroys 
this  kind  of  infectious  material  may  be  called  a.  germicide.  If  all  infec- 
tious material  owes  its  specific  infecting  power  to  the  presence  of  living 
organisms,  then,  from  our  point  of  view,  disinfectant  and  germicide  are 
synonymous  terms.  But  in  the  absence  of  satisfactory  proof  that  such  is 
the  fact,  we  must  consider  the  former  term  one  of  general  application, 
while  the  latter  is  only  applicable  in  those  cases  in  which  the  infecting 
agent  has  been  proved  to  be  a  germ.  But  in  our  tests  of  disinfectants  we 
are  obliged,  for  the  most  part,  to  depend  upon  experiments  which  deter- 
mine germicide  power,  and  in  the  experiments  reported  below,  only 
biological  tests  have  been  used.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  those  agents  which 
by  laboratory  experiments  have  been  proved  to  be  the  most  potent  ger- 
micides, have,  by  the  experience  of  sanitarians,  by  tests  upon  vaccine 
virus,  septicemic  blood,  etc.,  been  shown  to  be  the  most  reliable  disin- 
fectants.    , 

Evidently  there  can  be  no  partial  disinfection ; — either  the  infecting 
power  of  the  material  to  be  disinfected  is  destroyed,  or  it  is  not.  Where 
the  object  is  to  destroy  disease  germs  in  the  sputum  of  patients  with 
diphtheria,  in  the  discharges  of  patients  with  typhoid  fever,  etc.,  so  that 
no  development  shall  occur  when  these  germs  find  a  proper  nidus,  in- 
complete destruction  will  be  a  waste  of  ammunition,  for  so  rapid  is  the 
multiplication  of  these  low  organisms  that  the  question  of  numbers  is  of 
secondary  importance.  It  is  therefore  essential,  in  an  experimental  in- 
quiry of  this  kind,  that  the  most  rigid  tests  may  be  applied,  and  that  we 
keep  on  the  safe  side  in  the  practical  application  of  those  agents  which 
withstand  these  tests. 

In  our  experiments  below  reported,  the  material  which  has  served  to 
test  the  germicide  power  of  the  agents  named  is  kk  broken-down"  beef 
tea,  exposed  in  the  laboratory  for  several  days,  and  containing  a  variety 
of  putrefactive  bacteria  and  their  spores.  The  spores  of  Bacillus  subtilis 
are  also  invariably  present  in  this  stock ;  and  when  a  certain  agent  is  sue- 


IO  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

cessful  in  destroying  all  other  micro-organisms,  we  frequently  have  in 
our  culture-solutions  a  pure  culture  of  this  bacillus,  which  is  noted  for  its 
abundant  and  wide  distribution,  and  for  the  great  resisting  power  of  its 
spores.  In  order  to  meet  the  objection  of  those  who  are  likely  to  cavil 
because  no  "disease  germs"  are  present  in  the  material  mentioned,  a 
culture  of  Bacillus  anthracis  containing  spores  is  added  to  this  stock 
solution.  It  is  well  known  that  anthrax  spores  constitute  one  of  the  most 
difficult  tests  of  germicide  power, — not  more  difficult,  however,  than  the 
spores  of  B.  subtilis.  We  may  safely  assume,  then,  that  an  agent  which 
will  destroy  these  spores  will  also  destroy  all  known  disease  germs,  and 
probably  all  organisms  of  this  class,  known  or  unknown.  The  micro- 
cocci and  bacilli,  not  containing  spores,  are  far  more  easily  destroyed. 

The  time  of  exposure  to  the  disinfecting  agent  in  all  of  these  experi- 
ments has  been  two  hours.  And  the  amount  of  material  to  be  disinfected 
has,  in  every  case,  been  made  equal  to  the  amount  of  the  solution  of  the 
disinfecting  agent  under  trial.  Thus,  to  test  an  agent  in  the  proportion 
of  fifty  per  cent.,  a  certain  quantity — 10  cc. — of  the  agent  undiluted  (ioo 
percent.)  is  added  to  an  equal  quantity  of  the  broken-down  beef  stock 
described.  If  we  wish  to  test  the  agent  in  the  proportion  of  four  per 
cent.,  an  eight  per  cent,  solution  is  made,  and  this  is  added  to  an  equal 
quantity  of  the  stock,  etc.  The  mixture  is  placed  in  a  wide-mouthed 
bottle  containing  25  cc,  and  is  set  aside  for  two  hours.  A  minute  quan- 
tity of  the  material  is  then  introduced  into  two  little  culture-flasks1  (all 
experiments  are  made  in  duplicate)  containing  sterilized  beef  tea,  and 
these  are  placed  in  the  oven,  which  is  kept  constantly  at  a  temperature  of 
36°  to  380  C.  (96. 8°  to  100.40  F.)  My  method  has  been  explained  in 
detail  in  a  paper  relating  to  an  extended  series  of  experiments  of  a  similar 
nature,  published  in  the  American  Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences,  for 
April,  1883. 

These  experiments  on  commercial  disinfectants  have  been  very  care- 
fully made,  under  my  direction,  by  Dr.  Duggan.  The  samples  were, 
for  the  most  part,  obtained  for  me  by  Dr.  Raymond,  health  commissioner 
of  Brooklyn,  and  a  member  of  the  committee,  in  the  cities  of  New  York 
and  Brooklyn.  As  the  experiments  are  made  in  the  interests  of  the  pub- 
lic, special  pains  have  been  taken  to  secure  samples  such  as  are  placed  in 
the  market ;  and  the  rule  was  adopted  at  the  outset  not  to  test  samples 
sent  to  us  by  the  manufacturers,  but  to  purchase  ourselves  such  packages 
as  are  offered  for  sale  by  druggists  and  other  dealers. 

Numerous  experiments  were  made,  but  only  those  are  recorded  here 
which  fix  the  limits  between  success  and  failure.  In  four  instances,  a 
failure  occurred  in  the  proportion  of  50  per  cent.,  i.  e.,  when  the  undi- 
luted solution  was  added  to  an  equal  quantity  of  the  test  material.  These 
agents  were  at  once  dropped  without  further  trial.  In  the  table,  the 
agents  are  arranged  with  reference  to  their  relative  efficiency. 

iThe  flasks  used  are  all  made  in  the  laboratory,  and  are  of  the  form  described  in  the  chapter  on 
technology  in  my  book,  "  Bacteria." 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  II 

LIST   OF   COMMERCIAL   DISINFECTANTS  TESTED. 

Per  cent,  in  Per  cent,  in 

Name  upon  Label.  which  active.  which  failed. 

Little's  Soluble  Phenyle  (Morris,  Little  &  Co.,  Brooklyn),  .     .  2                            I 
Labarraque's  Solution  {Liq.  soda  chlorinata) ;  name  of  manu- 
facturer not  given, 7                            5 

Liquor  Zinci  Chloridi  (Squibb's), 10                             7 

Feuchtwanger's  Disinfectant  (L.  Feuchtvvanger  &  Co.,  New 

York), 10                            8 

Labarraque's  Solution  (From  Frere,  Paris), 15                          10 

Phenol  Sodique  (Hance  Bros.  &  White,  Philadelphia),  ...  15                          10 

,Platt's  Chlorides  (Henry  B.  Piatt,  New  York), 20                           15 

Girondin  Disinfectant  (James  Meyer,  Jr.,  New  York),    ...  25                          15 

Williamson's  Sanitary  Fluid  (D.  D.  Williamson,  New  York),  25                          20 

Bromo-chloralum  (Bromo-Chemical  Co.,  New  York),     ...  25                          20 
Blackman    Disinfectant    ( Blackmail    Disinfectant  Co.,   New 

York) 30                          20 

Squibb's  Solution  of  Impure  Carbolic  Acid  (about  2  per  cent.),  50 

Burchardt's  Disinfectant  (J.  H.  Harty  &  Co.,  New  York,)  50 

Phenol  Sodique  (7  Rue  Coq.  Heron,  Paris), 50 

Listerine  (Lambert  &  Co.,  St.  Louis), 50 

I  append  to  this  list  the  report  made  by  Wynter  Blyth  (loc.  cit.)  upon 
certain  commercial  disinfectants  exhibited  at  the  London  Health  Exhi- 
bition : 

Various  Tar-Acid  Disinfectants.  Jeyes's  perfect  purifier,  the  concentrated  carbolated  creo- 
sote of  Messrs.  D.  &  W.  Gibb,  the  kresylene  described  by  Messrs.  Mackay  &  Co.  as  a 
preparation  of  coal-tar  creosote,  pixene,  and  the  thymo-cresol  exhibited  by  Messrs.  Ness 
&  Co.,  have  all  the  property  of  emulsifying  with  water.  Jeyes's  purifier  was  for  some  time 
tried  in  St.  Marylebone  urinals  and  drains,  but  the  deposit  left  on  the  surface  with  which 
it  had  been  in  contact  was  found  difficult  to  cleanse,  and  inconvenient.  I  have  made 
some  experiments  on  anthrax  in  the  spore  state  with  the  "  perfect  purifier."  The  solu- 
tions used  were  5  to  10  per  cent. ;  the  "  fluff"  had  to  be  freed  from  the  tenacious  fawn- 
colored  deposit  by  alcohol.  The  result  was  very  similar  to  what  might  have  been  pre- 
dicted from  results  of  experiments  on  the  pure  tar-acids,  viz.,  growth  was  a  little  delayed, 
but  never  destroyed. 

Mr.  James  Wheeler's  pixene  I  was,  on  the  whole,  favorably  impressed  with.  He  claims 
to  have  condensed  the  whole  of  the  volatile  constituents  of  pure  tar,  and  to  have  present- 
ed them  in  a  form  readily  miscible  with  water.  *  *  *  Anthrax  spores  soaked  in  a  ten 
per  cent,  solution  did  not  grow  for  some  time. 

Carbolic  Acid  Powders.  I  have  experimented  on  anthrax  with  Calvert's,  Jeyes's,  and 
McDougall's  powders  ;  but,  even  when  a  paste  was  made  with  the  several  powders,  and 
the  infected  "  fluff"  allowed  to  remain  therein  twenty-four  hours,  no  sterilization  resulted. 

Similar  powders  were  obtained  by  our  committee  in  New  York  and 
Brooklyn,  but  I  have  not  thought  it  worth  while  to  make  any  experi- 
ments with  them,  as  sawdust  or  other  material,  saturated  with  impure 
carbolic  acid  or  with  the  volatile  constituents  of  tar,  can  have  no  great 
value  in  view  of  the  low  disinfecting  power  of  these  agents  minus  the 
sawdust.  An  agent  which  has  gained  considerable  reputation  in  Eng- 
land is  referred  to  as  follows  by  Blyth  : 

Sanitas.  Of  all  the  substances  introduced  under  the  name  of  disinfectant,  this  is  the 
most  pleasant.     Sanitas  is  chiefly  in  the  form  of  sanitas  oil  and  sanitas  fluid :  peroxide  of 


12  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

hydrogen,  thymol,  camphoric  acid,  and  terebene  enter  into  their  composition.  Of  the 
numerous  sanitas  preparations,  liquid  and  solid,  the  oil  seems  to  be  the  most  active. 
Nothing  replaces  or  destroys  so  rapidly  the  unpleasant  odor  which  tenaciously  adheres 
to  hands  contaminated  by  offensive  animal  matters.  It  is  also  to  be  commended  for  use 
in  stables,  and  as  a  corrective  for  dung-heaps,  and  of  the  sickly  smell  at  times  rising  frorh 
the  metropolitan  wood  pavement.  I  made  many  experiments  with  sanitas  on  anthrax. 
Spores  soaked  in  sanitas  fluid  for  twenty-four  hours  grew  afterwards  very  freely.  Spores 
placed  in  the  undiluted  emulsion,  and  afterwards  removed,  seemed  at  first  to  have  their 
growth  delayed ;  but  in  forty-eight  hours  growth  commenced,  and  ultimately  became  lux- 
uriant. The  oil  itself  gave  similar  results.  Sanitas  powder  was  also  tried,  but  with  no 
better  success. 

Returning  to  the  disinfectants  in  our  list,  it  will  be  seen  that  all  but  the 
four  last  named  are  efficient  in  various  amounts,  ranging  from  30  to  2  per 
cent.  But  the  relative  value  of  the  agents  as  here  given  does  not  estab- 
lish their  comparative  practical  value  as  disinfectants.  Questions  of  cost, 
physical  and  chemical  properties,  etc.,  come  into  the  account,  which  it 
is  the  province  of  other  members  of  our  committee  to  consider. 

We  have  nothing  to  say  against  the  use  of  any  of  the  agents  in  our  lists 
as  antiseptics  or  as  deodorizers.  No  doubt  all  of  them  are  more  or  less 
useful  for  this  purpose,  and  we  have  no  desire  to  restrict  their  use.  But 
the  exaggerated  claims  made  in  relation  to  the  germicide  or  disinfectant 
power  of  certain  of  these  agents,  may  do  immense  harm.  Thus,  one 
agent  advertised  asa  "  germicide"  par  excellence,  "  Pasteur's  marvellous 
disinfectant,"  which  failed  after  two  hours'  exposure  to  kill  the  organ- 
isms in  our  test  solution  in  the  proportion  of  20  per  cent.  Yet  this  fluid 
is,  by  some  contrivance,  to  be  thrown  into  the  water-closet  of  every  germ- 
fearing  citizen  when  he  pulls  the  handle,  so  that  it  may  catch  the  germs 
on  the  fly,  and  extinguish  their  power  for  mischief  before  they  reach  the 
sewers.  On  the  whole,  the  proprietary  disinfectants  have  turned  out 
better  than  I  anticipated ;  and  any  one  of  the  eleven  first  named  may  be 
used  in  conformity  with  the  conditions  imposed  by  the  experimental  test 
for  disinfecting  sputum  or  excreta.  For  fecal  matter,  however,  it  will 
be  best  to  employ  an  agent  which  is  successful  in  the  proportion  of  ten 
per  cent., — for  example,  in  at  least  twice  this  strength,  and  in  quantity 
considerably  in  excess  of  the  material  to  be  disinfected.  It  must  be 
remembered,  that  in  our  experiments  the  germs  are  suspended  in  a  fluid, 
and  this  is  thoroughly  mixed  with  the  disinfectant. 

The  second  agent  in  our  list  is  the  well  known  liquor  sodce  chlorinate. 

Our  experiments  lead  me  to  think  that  this  time-honored  disinfectant 
is  worthy  of  more  attention  than  it  receives  to-day,  when  so  many  other 
agents  of  inferior  value  are  being  pushed  by  enterprising  manufacturers. 
Our  two  samples  differ  greatly  in  their  disinfecting  power,  which  de- 
pends upon  the  amount  of  sodium  hypochlorite  present.  Dr.  Duggan 
has  prepared  and  experimented  with  a  solution  containing  six  per  cent, 
of  available  chlorine,  which  proves  to  be  efficient  in  the  proportion  of 
•one  per  cent.  I  am  informed  that  a  solution  containing  two  per  cent,  of 
available  chlorine  could  be  put  in  the  market  for  less  than  forty  cents  per 
gallon.     Whether  this  is  to  be  the  disinfectant  with  which  we  shall  fight 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 3 

cholera  must  be  determined  by  my  colleagues,  who  take  up  the  question 
from  a  practical  standpoint.  But  whatever  agents  are  determined  to  be 
the  best,  must  be  so  cheap  that  they  may  be  obtained  by  the  gallon,  and 
used  without  stint.  The  time  has  passed  when  pater  familias  can  com- 
placently congratulate  himself  upon  having  disinfected  his  house  with  a 
bottle  of  carbolic  acid,  which  he  has  brought  in  his  vest  pocket  from  the 
corner  drug  store. 

In  view  of  the  efficiency  and  cheapness  of  the  hypochlorites,  I  have 
requested  Dr.  Duggan  to  give  special  attention  to  these  agents,  and  to 
prepare  a  report,  embodying  the  results  of  his  biological  tests,  and  such 
information  relating  to  the  modus  operandi,  chemical  characters,  and 
available  tests  of  strength,  as  may  be  useful  to  health  officers  and  to  the 
public. 


GERMICIDE  POWER  OF  THE  HYPOCHLORITES. 

BY  J.   R.   DUGGAN,   M.  D.,  PH.  D. 

In  my  previous  work  on  commercial  disinfectants,  I  found  that  the 
specimens  of  Labarraque's  solution  of  sodium  hypochlorite,  although 
containing  only  a  small  quantity  of  this  salt,  were  among  the  most  effec- 
tive in  their  action.  On  looking  over  the  literature  of  the  subject,  I 
found  that  although  this  solution  and  that  of  the  corresponding  calcium 
salt  (chloride  of  lime)  were  among  the  first  used  disinfectants,  very 
little  had  been  done  to  fix  accurately  their  value.  In  order  to  determine 
this,  I  prepared  standard  solutions  of  sodium  and  calcium  hypochlorites 
for  use  in  the  following  experiments.  The  available  chlorine,  that  is, 
the  chlorine  which  enters  into  the  constitution  of  the  hypochlorites,  was 
determined  in  these  solutions  by  its  oxidizing  action  on  a  standard  solu- 
tion of  arsenious  acid, — papers  saturated  with  starch  paste  and  potassium 
iodide  being  used  to  show  an  excess  of  the  hypochlorite.  The  well 
known  method  of  Dr.  Sternberg  was  used  throughout  the  investigation 
to  determine  germicidal  value.     The  following  solutions  were  prepared  : 

Solution  A.  Sodium  hypochlorite  made  by  passing  chlorine  gas  into 
a  solution  of  sodium  hydroxide.     Available  chlorine  =  6  per  cent. 

Solution  B.  Calcium  hypochlorite  made  by  passing  chlorine  gas  into 
milk  of  lime.     Available  chlorine  =  6  per  cent. 

Solution  C.  Calcium  hypochlorite  made  by  dissolving  ioo  grammes 
of  bleaching  powder  (chloride  of  lime)  in  I  litre  of  water,  and  filtering. 
Available  chlorine  =  2.4  per  cent. 

Solution  D.  Potassium  hypochlorite  made  by  passing  chlorine  gas 
into  a  solution  of  potassium  hydroxide,  and  diluting  until  the  available 
chlorine  =  1  per  cent. 

The  action  of  Solution  A  on  spores  of  Bacillus  anthracis  was  tried 
with  the  following  result :  2  per  cent,  was  effective  in  30  minutes,  1 
hour,  and  2  hours  ;   1  per  cent,  failed  in  1  hour,  effective  in  2  hours. 


14  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

Solution  B  in  2  per  cent,  gave  similar  results.  In  i  per  cent,  it  was 
effective  in  both  i  and  2  hours. 

Solutions  A  and  B  were  both  found  to  be  effective  in  5  per  cent,  and  1 
minute's  time  on  the  organisms  of  broken-down  beef  tea.  One  half  per 
cent,  of  these  solutions  failed  to  destroy  in  2  hours  organisms  in  broken- 
down  beef  tea,  but  1  per  cent,  of  Solution  A  was  effective  in  the  same 
time.  One  of  the  bulbs  from  a  1  per  cent,  solution  of  Solution  B  broke 
down,  but  the  other  remained  clear.  These  solutions  were  also  tried  in 
2  and  3  per  cent,  for  2  hours,  and  found  effective. 

Solution  C  was  effective  in  3  per  cent.,  but  failed  in  1  and  2  per  cent, 
in  2  hours. 

Solution  D  was  effective  in  7  per  cent.,  but  failed  in  5  and  6  per  cent, 
in  2  hours. 

In  addition  to  these,  we  may  mention  a  dilute  solution  of  bleaching- 
powder  of  unknown  manufacture.  This  contained  4  per  cent,  available 
chlorine,  and  was  effective  in  15  per  cent.,  failed  in  10  per  cent:  ;  time, 
2  hours.  The  commercial  specimens  of  Labarraque's  solution,  reported 
among  the  commercial  disinfectants,  showed  about  the  same  value  in 
proportion  to  the  available  chlorine  they  contained.  These  latter  experi- 
ments were  all  made  on  broken-down  beef  tea.  That  this  contained 
spores  as  well  as  organisms  was  shown  by  the  fact  that  tubes  inoculated 
from  the  solution  while  boiling  developed  various  bacilli.  Of  course, 
spores  must  have  been  present  to  resist  this  temperature. 

While  it  has  been  thought  well  to  use  a  pathogenic  organism  in  some 
of  these  experiments,  I  am  convinced,  from  recent  works  on  the  subject, 
that  any  agent  that  will  destroy  Bacillus  subtilis  will  also  destroy  B.  an- 
t/iracis,  and  probably  any  other  pathogenic  organism. 

The  foregoing  experiments  show  that  a  solution  containing  .25  of  1 
per  cent.  (1  part  to  400)  of  chlorine,  as  hypochlorite,  is  an  effective  germ- 
icide, even  when  allowed  to  act  for  only  one  or  two  minutes,  while  .06 
of  1  percent.  (6  parts  to  10,000)  will  kill  spores  of  B.  ant/zracis  and 
B.  subtilis  in  two  hours.  A  simple  calculation  will  show  that  all  the 
solutions  used  were  effective  when  diluted  to  about  this  strength,  and 
failed  a  little  below  it.  No  better  evidence  could  be  had  of  the  reliability 
of  the  excellent  method  of  Dr.  Sternberg  for  testing  agents  of  this  kind. 
These  experiments  were  all  made  in  duplicate,  and  they  show  a  concord- 
ance which  I  am  satisfied  can  be  obtained  by  no  other  method  with  which 
I  am  acquainted. 

The  value  of  the  various  commercial  preparations,  such  as  Labar- 
raque's solution  and  bleaching-powder  (chloride  of  lime),  of  course  de- 
pends on  the  amount  of  available  chlorine  they  contain,  since  the  chlo- 
rides and  chlorates  are  of  very  little  value  as  disinfectants.  Bleaching- 
powder  usually  contains  from  25  to  40  per  cent,  of  available  chlorine. 
For  most  purposes  a  solution  containing  1  part  of  this  preparation  to  100 
of  water  is  strong  enough,  for  this  will  contain  from  .25  to  .40  of  1  per 
cent,  of  chlorine  as  hypochlorite.  As  is  stated  above,  the  smaller  of 
these  quantities  is  sufficient  to  destroy  spores  almost  instantly.     There 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 5 

are  very  few  purposes  to  which  disinfectants  are  applied  that  are  not 
fulfilled  by  this  solution  of  1  to  100  of  bleaching-powder.  It  is  not  poi- 
sonous, does  not  injure  clothing,  bedding,  etc.,  and  is  almost  without 
cost,  since  bleaching-powder  is  worth  only  about  five  cents  per  pound. 
The  sodium  salt  furnishes  in  some  respects  a  more  elegant  preparation, 
since  it  leaves  on  evaporation  sodium  chloride,  instead  of  the  hygroscopic 
calcium  chloride.  If  prepared  according  to  the  U.  S.  P.,  it  does  not 
keep  very  well  ;  but  when  made  by  passing  chlorine  gas  into  a  solution 
of  an  excess  of  caustic  soda,  it  shows  very  little  tendency  to  undergo  de- 
composition. 

Solution  A,  although  rather  concentrated,  and  frequently  exposed  to 
the  light  and  air,  has  kept  for  a  month  without  any  appreciable  change. 
A  solution  like  this  might  be  put  on  the  market  at  a  very  reasonable 
price,  and  as  it  should  be  diluted  with  20  parts  of  water,  it  would  be  far 
cheaper  and  more  effective  than  any  of  the  proprietary  disinfectants.  The 
odor  of  the  hypochlorites  is  a  slight  objection  to  their  use,  but  in  dilute 
solution  this  is  scarcely  disagreeable.  Where  the  odor  is  not  to  be  re- 
garded, the  hypochlorous  acid  may  be  liberated  by  the  addition  of  any 
common  acid,  thus  increasing  the  oxidizing  power,  and  liberating  a  most 
effective  gaseous  disinfectant.  I  hope  to  make  further  experiments  on 
this  point  at  an  early  day. 

To  fix  the  value  of  solutions  of  the  hypochlorites,  the  following  method 
is  sufficiently  accurate  for  ordinary  purposes :  A  standard  solution  of 
potassium  arsenite  may  be  made  by  diluting  seven  parts  of  Fowler's  so- 
lution with  one  and  a  half  parts  of  water.  This  corresponds  to  a  y2  per 
cent,  solution  of  available  chlorine.  To  apply  the  method,  a  given  vol- 
ume of  the  hypochlorite  solution  is  measured  out,  and  the  arsenite  solu- 
tion added  in  small  quantities.  Between  each  addition  the  mixture  is 
well  stirred,  and  a  drop  taken  out  on  a  glass  rod,  and  tested  on  a  strip  of 
paper  saturated  with  iodide  of  potassium  and  starch  paste,  and  dried. 
So  long  as  any  hypochlorite  is  present,  the  blue  iodide  of  starch  is 
formed  ;  but  when  it  has  all  been  used  up  in  converting  the  arsenite  into 
an  arseniate,  the  paper  will  remain  colorless.  As  each  volume  of  the 
potassium  arsenite  solution  required  for  this  corresponds  to  y?  per  cent, 
of  available  chlorine,  the  calculation  is  very  simple  ;  e.  g.,  if  one  volume 
of  the  hypochlorite  solution  =  4.6  volumes  of  the  arsenite  solution,  the 
amount  of  available  chlorine  present  would  correspond  to  2.3  per  cent. 
Since  the  preparations  now  on  the  market  vary  so  much  in  the  amount 
of  chlorine  they  contain,  this  test  should  always  be  used  to  determine 
their  value,  and  the  amount  of  dilution  required.  Where  the  disinfectant 
is  further  diluted  in  use  by  being  added  to  liquids  or  semi-solids,  the  orig- 
inal dilution  should  not  be  so  great. 

The  hypochlorites  possess  the  advantage  over  many  of  the  metallic 
salts  of  not  forming  a  coating  of  insoluble  albuminoid  matter  around  the 
solid  or  semi-solid  masses,  and  thus  protecting  them  from  further  action. 
On  the  contrary,  when  used  in  moderately  strong  solution  they  oxidize 
and  disintegrate  these  materials.     They  are  at  the  same  time  destroyed 


1 6  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

themselves  in  the  reaction,  so  that  we  are  rid  of  germs,  organic  matter, 
and  disinfectant  all  at  the  same  time. 

Note.  The  fact  that  the  oxidizing  disinfectants  are  destroyed  in  the  reaction  to  which 
their  disinfecting  power  is  due,  makes  it  necessary  to  use  them  in  excess  of  the  amount  of 
organic  material  to  be  destroyed,  otherwise  germs  included  in  masses  of  material  not 
acted  upon  would  be  left  intact  in  a  fluid  which  is  no  longer  of  any  value  for  their  de- 
struction ;  and  as  a  few  germs  may  be  as  potent  for  mischief  as  a  large  number,  there 
would  be  a  complete  failure  to  accomplish  the  object  in  view.  For  this  reason,  the  me- 
tallic salts,  such  as  mercuric  chloride,  which  are  not  destroyed  by  contact  with  organic 
material,  have  a  superior  value  for  the  disinfection  of  masses  of  material  left  in  situ,  such 
as  the  contents  of  privy  vaults  and  cesspools.  In  this  case,  even  if  germs  enclosed  in  an 
envelope  of  the  albuminate  of  mercury  escape  destruction,  they  will  be  prevented  from 
doing  mischief  so  long  as  they  are  included  in  such  an  envelope,  and  the  wonderful  anti- 
septic power  of  the  agent  used  will  prevent  any  development,  probably  for  a  sufficient 
length  of  time  to  insure  the  complete  loss  of  vitality  of  any  pathogenic  organisms  present. 

George  M.  Sternberg. 

COMMERCIAL  DISINFECTANTS.     No.  2. 

BY   GEORGE    M.    STERNBERG. 

The  following  named  "  disinfectants"  have  been  tested,  under  my  di- 
rection, by  my  efficient  laboratory  assistant,  Dr.  A.  C.  Abbott,  of  Balti- 
more. The  test  in  every  case  has  been  made  upon  '* broken-down"  beef 
tea,  by  the  method  heretofore  described  in  detail. 

Several  of  the  disinfectants  which  stand  at  the  head  of  the  list  contain 
the  potent  germicide,  mercuric  chloride,  as  shown  by  the  simple  test  of 
introducing  a  polished  piece  of  copper  into  the  solution.  A  deposit  of 
metallic  mercury  upon  the  surface  of  the  copper  shows  at  once  the  pres- 
ence of  a  soluble  salt  of  this  metal.  Those  who  have  occasion  to  use  dis- 
infectants, the  exact  composition  of  which  is  not  made  public,  will  do 
well  to  bear  this  in  mind,  and  to  remember,  also,  that  the  germicide 
power  of  such  solutions  is  neutralized  by  contact  with  lead,  copper,  or 
tin,  and  that  lead  pipes  are  injured  by  passing  through  them  solutions  of 
corrosive  sublimate  in  any  considerable  quantity. 

Per  cent,  in  Per  cent,  in 

Name  upon  label.  which  active.  which  failed. 

Dr.  Martin's  "  Disinfectant  No.  1  "  (contains  mercuric  chlo- 
ride)      2  1 

"  Thymo-cresol,"  English  preparation,  name  of  proprietor  not 
given .  2  1 

"  Withers's  Antizymotic  Solution  "  (contains  mercuric  chlo- 
ride)      4  2 

"Pasteur's  Marvellous  Disinfectant,"1  Blackman  Disinfectant 

Co.,  of  New  York  (contains  mercuric  chloride) 4  2 

"  Purity,"  Egyptian  Chemical  Co.,  Boston 40  20 

"  King   Disinfectant,"    Humiston    Manufacturing  Co.,    New 

Haven,  Conn 50 

"  Sanguantrae,"  P.  W.  Manning,  Stoneham,  Mass.,    ....  50 

"Phenoline,"  Hance  Bros.  &  White,  Philadelphia      ....  50 

"Golden  Purifier,"  Thomas  &  Thompson,  Baltimore      ...  50 

1  A  preparation  bearing  the  same  name,  reported  upon  in  previous  report  upon  commercial  disin- 
fectants, did  not  contain  mercuric  chloride,  and  failed  at  20  per  cent. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 7 

Per  cent,  in  Per  cent,  in 

Name  upon  label.  which  active.  which  failed. 

*  Smith's  Odorless  Disinfectant,"  the  Louis  Smith  Co.,  New 
York 50 

"  Disinfecting  Powder,"  G.  L.  Kidwell,  Georgetown,  D.  C.    .  50 

"  Thymo-cresol  Powder,"  English  preparation,  name  of  pro- 
prietor not  given 50 

"Chloridium,"  Chemical  Vaporizer  and  Deodorizer  Co.,  of 
New  York 50 

"  Carbolcrystal  Disinfectant,"  H.  H.  Childs,  proprietor      .     .  50 

Dr.  Abbott  has  also  tested  for  me  the  different  preparations  of  chloride 
of  lime,  and  of  Labarraque's  solution,  which  we  have  been  able  to  obtain 
in  the  Baltimore  market,  with  the  following  result : 

Per  cent. 
CHLORIDE   OF   LIME.  of 

available  chlorine. 

Brookman  Manufacturing  Co.,  Chicago 33-5° 

Risley  &  Co.,  New  York 28.40 

Rock  Hill  Alkali  Co.,  Liverpool 28.00 

Clagett  Bros 24.10 

LABARRAQUE'S  SOLUTION  (LIQUOR  SOD.E  CHLORINATE). 

Reed  &  Carnrick,  New  York 3.80 

Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  Detroit,  Mich 2.75 

Powers  &  Weightman,  Philadelphia 2.62 

Hance  Bros.  &  White,  Philadelphia 0.35 

Alonzo  L.  Thompson,  Baltimore 0.013 

NOTES.1 

BY  THE  CHAIRMAN   OF  THE  COMMITTEE. 

My  attention  has  just  been  called  to  an  advertisement  of  "  Withers's 
Antizymotic  Solution,"  in  which  it  is  stated  that  it  is  endorsed  as  the 
best  by  George  M.  Sternberg,  M.  D.,  Surgeon  U.  S.  A. 

I  have  never  authorized  the  use  of  my  name  in  connection  with  this  or 
any  other  proprietary  disinfectant.  The  only  reference  I  have  ever  made 
to  "  Withers's  Antizymotic  Solution  "  is  in  the  report  on  "  Commercial 
Disinfectants,"  No.  2,2  published  in  the  Medical  News  of  June  13th, 
where  this  has  the  third  place  in  a  list  of  fourteen  commercial  disinfect- 
ants, tested  under  my  direction  by  Dr.  Abbott.  The  remark  is  made, 
"  Contains  mercuric  chloride."  As  a  simple  solution  of  mercuric  chlo- 
ride of  1  :  500  would  be  quite  as  efficient  as  a  4  per  cent,  solution  of  this 
disinfectant,  the  extravagant  claims  made  for  it  are  without  foundation. 
The  assertion  that  it  is  endorsed  by  me  "as  the  best"  is  untrue. 

Labarraque's  Solution.  I  have  received  the  following  letter  from  a 
well  known  and  reputable  firm  of  manufacturing  chemists : 

1  Medical  News,  Sept.  5,  1885. 
*  See  ante,  p.  16. 


1 8  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

In  the  Medical  Arews  (Philadelphia)  for  June  13th  we  find  a  continuation  of  the  Prelim- 
inary Report  of  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants,  including  a  report  on  the  relative  per- 
centage of  available  chlorine  in  samples  of  different  manufacturers  of  Labarraque's  Solu- 
tion. As  you  are  doubtless  aware,  Labarraque's  Solution  is  a  very  unstable  preparation; 
and,  although  made  with  every  possible  care,  will  surely  deteriorate  by  age.  With  such 
an  article  it  is  manifestly  unfair  to  institute  comparisons  between  different  makers,  with- 
out regard  to  the  freshness,  or  otherwise,  of  the  samples.  To  the  unthinking  reader,  the 
bald  statement  that  one  preparation  contains  3.8  per  cent.,  and  another  only  .013  per 
cent.,  is  calculated  to  convey  the  impression  that  the  preparation  which  contained  so  small 
a  percentage  has  been  improperly  made  (while  really,  when  fresh,  its  percentage  might 
have  been  greater  than  the  highest  named) ;  and  such  an  impression  would  naturally  cre- 
ate a  prejudice  against  the  manufacturer,  and,  unfortunately,  not  be  limited  to  the  partic- 
ular article  mentioned. 

I  recognize  the  fact  that  the  unthinking  reader  might  make  an  infer- 
ence unfair  to  the  manufacturer,  from  the  perusal  of  a  "bald  statement" 
such  as  is  published  in  the  table  on  page  659  of  the  News.  I  regret  this, 
and  will  in  future  gladly  give  the  date  of  manufacture,  if  the  manufac- 
turers will  stamp  it  upon  the  bottle.  As  I  propose  to  obtain  new  samples 
from  time  to  time,  and  to  publish  the  results  of  tests  as  to  available  chlo- 
rine, it  may  happen  that  the  aggrieved  manufacturers  in  this  instance 
will  come  out  at  the  head  of  the  list  next  time.  But  these  tests  are  made 
especially  in  the  interests  of  the  public,  which,  from  my  point  of  view, 
are  superior  to  those  of  the  manufacturers  ;  and  it  is  evident  that  great 
harm  might  result  from  reliance  upon  the  disinfecting  power  of  a  liquid 
labelled  "  Labarraque's  Solution,"  which  contained  only  .013  per  cent, 
of  available  chlorine.  The  fact  that  it  was  of  full  strength  when  first 
manufactured  does  not  add  to  its  value  as  a  disinfectant  for  the  excreta  of 
a  patient  with  cholera  or  typhoid  fever.  If  the  manufacturers  will  stamp 
the  date  of  manufacture  upon  the  label  attached  to  each  bottle,  I  will 
publish  it,  in  future,  it  connection  with  the  result  of  the  tests  to  determine 
available  chlorine  present  in  the  solution. 


POTASSIUM  PERMANGANATE. 

BY   GEORGE   M.    STERNBERG. 

In  my  experiments  made  in  Baltimore  in  18811  it  was  found  that  a 
2  per  cent,  solution  of  potassium  permanganate  was  required  to  destroy 
the  virulence  of  septicemic  blood,  the  test  of  disinfection  being  inocula- 
tion into  healthy  rabbits.  In  experiments  made  in  San  Francisco  in 
18832  it  was  found  that  .12  per  cent.  (=1  :  833)  destroyed  the  micro- 
coccus of  pus  in  culture  solutions.  As  the  virulence  of  the  blood  in  the 
first  experiments  was  demonstrated  to  be  due  to  the  presence  of  a  micro- 
coccus which  has,  as  a  rule,  less  resisting  power  for  chemical  agents 
than  has  the   micrococcus   used  in  the  .second  series  of  experiments,  it 

^'Bulletin  National  Board  of  Health,"  July  23,  1881 :  also,  "Studies  from  Biological  Laboratory 
of  Johns  Hopkins  University,"  vol.  ii,  No.  2. 

2  Am.  Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences,  April,  1883. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 9 

may  be  thought  that  these  results  are  contradictory.  This  is  not,  how- 
ever, the  case,  and  the  wide  difference  as  to  the  quantity  of  the  disinfect- 
ing agent  required  in  the  two  series  of  experiments  depends  upon  an 
essential  difference  in  the  nature  of  the  fluid  in  which  the  germs  to  be 
destroyed  were  contained.  The  large  amount  of  organic  material  pres- 
ent in  the  blood  as  compared  with  that  in  the  culture  fluid  used  in  the 
second  series  of  experiments  fully  accounts  for  the  difference,  for  the  dis- 
infecting agent  is  itself  quickly  destroyed  by  contact  with  organic  mat- 
ter ;  and,  indeed,  its  disinfecting  power  depends  upon  this  instability  of 
composition,  and  upon  the  oxidation  of  organic  material  with  which  it 
comes  in  contact. 

This  difference  in  the  result,  due  to  a  difference  in  the  amount  of 
organic  matter  present  in  the  material  to  be  disinfected,  is  further  exem- 
plified in  the  following  experiments  : 

November  26,  1884,  a  single  drop  of  a  pure  culture  of  micrococcus  of 
pus  was  subjected  to  the  action  of  potassium  permanganate  for  two  hours, 
in  the  proportion  of  1  part  to  500,  and  in  the  proportion  of  I  part  to 
1,000.  Four  culture-tubes  containing  a  sterilized  solution  of  beef-pep- 
tone were  inoculated  with  the  micrococci  thus  exposed  (it  is  my  practice 
to  make  every  experiment  in  duplicate),  and  were  placed  in  a  culture- 
oven  maintained  at  380  C.  (100.40  F.)  for  forty-eight  hours.  No  devel- 
opment occurred  in  either  of  the  tubes. 

On  the  29th  of  November  a  similar  experiment  was  made  with  a 
culture  solution  containing  both  micrococci  and  bacilli.  In  this  exper- 
iment there  was  no  development  of  the  micrococci,  but  the  bacilli  devel- 
oped abundantly  after  exposure  to  the  1  :  1000  solution.  No  develop- 
ment of  bacilli  ( B.  subtilis)  occurred,  however,  after  exposure  to  1  part 
in  250.  In  these  experiments  the  permanganate,  although  in  dilute  solu- 
tion, was  not  neutralized  by  the  small  amount  of  organic  material  con- 
tained in  the  drop  of  the  culture  fluid  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  germi- 
cide agent.  In  the  following  experiments  the  conditions  were  varied, 
and  a  larger  proportion  of  the  permanganate  failed  to  exert  any  germicide 
power. 

November  24  equal  parts  of  a  .4  per  cent,  solution  (1  :  250)  of  potas- 
sium permanganate  and  of  "  broken-down  "  beef  tea  were  mixed  in  a 
germ-proof  receptacle,  and  allowed  to  stand  for  two  hours.  Two  cul- 
ture-tubes were  then  inoculated  with  a  minute  drop  of  the  mixture,  and 
were  placed  in  the  oven.  At  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours  an  abundant 
development  of  putrefactive  bacteria  had  taken  place.  In  this  experi- 
ment, then,  we  have  a  failure  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  500,  but  the  exper- 
iment does  not  in  the  least  invalidate  those  previously  reported.  The 
truth  is,  that  in  making  the  above  mixture  the  permanganate  is  almost 
instantly  decomposed  by  the  excess  of  organic  matter,  while  in  the  exper- 
iments in  which  a  single  drop  of  culture-fluid  containing  micrococci  was 
introduced  into  a  more  dilute  solution,  there  was  still  an  excess  of  the 
permanganate,  as  shown  by  the  color  of  the  solution  at  the  end  of  two 
hours.     Having  determined  the  germicide  power  of  the  permanganate 


20  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

for  micrococci,  at  least  for  one  species  of  micrococcus,  I  desired  to  know 
whether  the  oxidizing  power  of  this  reagent,  when  present  in  excess, 
would  destroy  the  spores  of  anthrax,  which  are  recognized  as  furnishing 
one  of  the  most  difficult  tests  of  germicide  power.  The  following  exper- 
iments have  been  recently  made  : 

November  24  a  drop  of  culture  fluid  containing  an  abundance  of  an- 
thrax spores,  a  pure  culture,  was  added  to  a  considerable  quantity  of  a 
.4  per  cent.  (1  :  250)  solution  of  potassium  permanganate.  After  two 
hours  two  culture-tubes  were  inoculated  with  a  minute  quantity  of  this 
material.  These  tubes  were  placed  in  the  culture-oven,  and  the  follow- 
ing morning  contained  an  abundance  of  anthrax  bacilli. 

November  27  the  above  experiment  was  repeated,  except  that  the  time 
of  exposure  was  extended  to  four  hours.  Again  there  was  an  abundant 
development  of  anthrax  bacilli  in  the  culture-tubes,  showing  that  the 
spores  had  resisted  ;  but  in  one  tube  the  development  was  delayed,  and 
it  was  only  on  the  morning  of  the  second  day  that  flocculi  of  bacillus 
anthracis  commenced  to  appear. 

December  2  the  experiment  was  repeated,  with  the  exception  that  the 
time  of  exposure  was  extended  to  four  days.  The  bacillus  now  failed 
entirely  to  develop  in  the  culture-tubes,  showing  that  the  spores  had  been 
killed  by  this  long  exposure. 

It  is  probable  that  in  experiments  in  which  the  permanganate  is  pres- 
ent in  excess,  the  amount  present  is  of  less  importance  than  the  time  of 
exposure,  and  that  a  stronger  solution  would  fail  to  destroy  anthrax 
spores  in  a  considerably  shorter  time.  The  resisting  power  of  anthrax 
spores  to  this  reagent  is  shown  by  these  experiments  to  be  greater  than 
that  of  the  spores  of  B.  subtilis.  This  is  true  also  of  chloride  of  zinc, 
and  no  doubt  of  certain  other  chemical  agents.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
spores  of  B.  subtilis  have  a  greater  resisting  power  for  heat.  These  dif- 
ferences in  resisting  power  show  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  exercise  due 
caution  in  applying  the  data  obtained  in  experiments  upon  one  pathogenic 
organism  in  our  practical  efforts  to  disinfect  material  containing  a  differ- 
ent organism. 

According  to  Arloing,  Cornevin,  and  Thomas,  a  5  per  cent,  solution 
destroys  the  fresh  virus  of  symptomatic  anthrax,  but  has  no  effect  upon 
the  dried  virus. 

One  per  cent,  was  found  by  Koch  not  to  destroy  the  spores  of  anthrax, 
but  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  3000  the  development  of  these  spores  was 
retarded. 

The  experiments  of  De  la  Croix,  like  those  of  Miquel,  have  reference 
especially  to  the  antiseptic  power  of  the  agents  tested  by  him.  He 
makes  the  statement,  however,  that  one  part  of  potassium  permanganate 
in  thirty-five  kills  the  bacteria  of  broken-down  beef  tea.  This  statement 
is  no  doubt  true  under  the  conditions  of  his  experiment;  but,  as  I  have 
shown,  the  result  depends  upon  the  time  of  exposure  and  the  amount  of 
organic  matter  present  quite  as  much  as  upon  the  proportionate  amount 
of  permanganate  with  reference  to  the  quantity  of  fluid  operated  upon. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  21 

If  we  add  one  gramme  of  permanganate  to  a  litre  of  broked-down  beef 
stock,  it  is  quickly  decomposed,  and  no  germicide  effect  is  produced ; 
but  if  we  add  one  drop  of  putrid  beef  tea  to  a  litre  of  distilled  water  con- 
taining one  gramme  of  permanganate,  the  organic  matter,  and  the  germs 
as  well,  contained  in  this  drop  of  fluid  are  quickly  destroyed  by  oxida- 
tion. 

Several  English  investigators — Notter,1  Calvert,2  and  Tripe3 — have 
attempted  to  determine  the  value  of  potassium  permanganate  as  a  "  dis- 
infectant ;"  but  the  methods  employed  have  not  been  such  as  could  give 
satisfactory  and  definite  results,  although  these  earlier  experiments  demon- 
strated the  value  of  this  agent  as  an  antiseptic  and  deodorizer. 

Other  English  investigators — Baxter,4  Braid  wood,  and  Vacher5 — have 
adopted  a  different  test,  and  their  results  are  interesting  and  valuable. 

These  gentlemen  operated  upon  vaccine  lymph,  and  the  test  of  disin- 
fection was  the  failure  of  this  lymph  to  produce  characteristic  vesicles 
upon  the  arms  of  children  not  previously  vaccinated.  Comparative  ex- 
periments were  made  in  each  case  with  lymph  not  subjected  to  the  action 
of  the  disinfectant. 

In  Baxter's  experiments  i  part  in  200  was  successful  in  destroying  the 
specific  virulence  of  vaccine  lymph  ;  and  in  those  of  Braidwood  and 
Vacher  a  like  result  was  obtained  by  adding  two  drops  of  a  solution  of 
1  :  120  to  "  a  tube  of  lymph." 

From  what  has  been  said,  it  is  evident  that  while  potassium  perman- 
ganate has  decided  germicide  and  antiseptic  power,  it  is  not  generally 
applicable  for  purposes  of  disinfection,  because  of  the  readiness  with 
which  it  is  decomposed  by  organic  matter.  It  is,  however,  a  prompt 
and  valuable  deodorizer. 


HYDROGEN   PEROXIDE. 

BY   GEORGE    M.    STERNBERG. 

Since  Angus  Smith,  in  1869,  proclaimed  his  belief  that  peroxide  of 
hydrogen  was  to  be  the  disinfectant  of  the  future,  sanitarians  have  been 
waiting  for  chemists  to  devise  some  method  by  which  this  agent  may  be 
manufactured  at  a  sufficiently  low  price  to  bring  it  into  general  use. 
The  absence  of  any  corrosive  or  poisonous  properties,  or  of  any  objec- 
tionable odor,  and  the  jM'omptness  with  which  this  agent  destroys  vola- 
tile putrefactive  products  and  arrests  putrefactive  decomposition,  seemed 
to  make  it  the  disinfectant  far  excellence.  But  we  no  longer  accept  the 
arrest  of  putrefactive  decomposition  or  the  destruction  of  bad  odors  as 

1  Dr.  J.  Lane  Notter,  "  Dublin  Journal  of  Medical  Sciences,"  vol.  Ixviii  (1879),  p.  196. 

2  Dr.  Grace  Calvert,  "Chemical  News,"  London,  vol.  xxii  (1S70),  p.  281. 

3  Dr.  John  W.  Tripe,  "  Sanitary  Record,"  London,  vol.  ii  (1881),  p.  201. 

*  Dr.  E.  B.  Baxter,  "  Report  on  the  Experimental  Study  of  Certain  Disinfectants."     "  Report  Med- 
ical Officer  Privy  Council,"  etc.,  N.  S.     No.  vi  (1875),  p.  216. 
fi"  British  Medical  Journal,"  London,  vol.  ii  (1876). 


22  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

evidence  of  disinfecting  power,  and  the  question  which  here  concerns  us 
relates  to  the  power  of  this  agent  to  destroy  germs. 

The  following  experiments  have  been  made  by  Dr.  Duggan  and  my- 
self with  a  solution  of  hydrogen  peroxide  prepared  under  the  direction 
of  Prof.  Albert  R.  Leeds,  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants. 
When  first  received  from  Dr.  Leeds  this  solution  contained  4.S  per  cent. 
of  H202,  and  5  per  cent,  of  sulphuric  acid.  At  the  expiration  of  a  month 
the  amount  of  hydrogen  peroxide  was  again  estimated  by  Dr.  Duggan, 
and  was  found  to  be  3.98  per  cent.  Five  weeks  later  the  proportion  was 
reduced  to  2.4  per  cent.  The  constant  escape  of  oxygen  at  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  laboratory  is  shown  by  a  continuous  flow  of  minute  bubbles 
from  the  interior  of  the  liquid  to  its  surface.  Tested  upon  broken-down 
beef  tea,  when  the  proportion  of  H202  was  3.98  per  cent,  (say  4  per 
cent.),  the  solution  was  found  to  be  active  in  the  proportion  of  30  per 
cent.,  while  it  failed  in  the  proportion  of  20  per  cent.  ;  that  is  to  say,  1.2 
per  cent,  of  H2Oa  in  two  hours'  time  destroyed  all  the  organisms  present 
in  the  broken-down  beef  stock,  and  .8  per  cent,  failed  to  do  so.  Tested 
upon  a  pure  culture  of  B.  anthracis  containing  spores,  the  same  solu- 
tion was  effective  in  20  per  cent.  (.8  per  cent.  H202  =  1:125),  anc^ 
failed  in  10  per  cent.  Tested  upon  a  pure  culture  of  a  micrococcus,  ob- 
tained from  a  drop  of  blood  drawn  from  the  inflamed  area  in  a  case  of 
vaccinal  erysipelas,  the  same  solution  was  effective  in  the  proportion  of 
10  per  cent.  (.4  per  cent.  ofH202=i  :25c)),  and  failed  at  5  per  cent. 
In  experiments  made  at  a  later  date  (March  28) ,  when  the  strength  of 
the  solution  was  reduced  to  2.4  per  cent.,  micrococcus  tetragenus  was 
destroyed  by  10  per  cent.  (.24  per  cent.  H202z=  1  =400),  while  the  same 
amount  failed  to  destroy  the  vitality  of  the  micrococcus  of  pus, — pure 
culture  obtained  from  an  acute  abscess, — showing  a  difference  in  the 
resisting  power  of  these  two  organisms. 

As  the  solution  used  in  these  experiments  contained  5  per  cent,  of  sul- 
phuric acid,  which  in  a  previous  series  of  experiments1  has  been  shown 
by  the  writer  to  be  fatal  to  the  micrococcus  of  pus  in  the  proportion  of 
1  :  200,  it  is  evident  that  a  failure  to  destroy  the  vitality  of  the  same  micro- 
coccus in  1  :  400  does  not  give  this  solution  any  very  notable  advantage 
over  a  simple  aqueous  solution  of  sulphuric  acid.  The  germicide  power 
of  the  solution  used,  as  tested  by  its  action  upon  spores,  is,  however, 
considerably  above  that  of  sulphuric  acid  alone.  Dr.  Duggan  has  ascer- 
tained that  to  destroy  all  of  the  organisms  in  broken-down  beef  tea  re- 
quires 8  per  cent,  of  H2S04,  whereas  30  per  cent,  of  our  solution  of  H202, 
containing  5  per  cent,  of  sulphuric  acid  (=1.5  per  cent,  of  H2S04),  is 
effective. 

These  experiments  indicate  that  unless  chemists  can  furnish  us  solu- 
tions which  are  more  concentrated  and  which  will  keep  better,  we  are 
not  likely  to  derive  any  great  practical  benefit  from  the  use  of  hydrogen 
peroxide  as  a  disinfectant. 

As  an  antiseptic,  our  solution  was  found  by  Dr.  Duggan  to  be  effective 

1  American  Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences,  April,  1883. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  2$ 

in  the  proportion  of  i  :  5000  (of  H202,  not  of  the  dilute  solution),  and  to 
fail  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  10,000.  This  does  not  correspond  with  the 
results  reported  by  Miquel,  who  places  hydrogen  peroxide — eau  oxy- 
genec — above  mercuric  chloride  as  an  antiseptic.  In  his  table  of  the 
minimum  amount  of  different  antiseptic  agents  which  will  prevent  the 
putrefaction  of  one  litre  of  neutralized  beef  tea,  the  quantity  of  H202 
required  is  stated  to  be  .05  gramme  (1  :  20,000),  while  the  amount  of 
mercuric  chloride  required  to  accomplish  the  same  results  is  given  as  .07 
gramme  (=  1  :  14,285). 


CHLORINE,  BROMINE,  AND  IODINE. 

BY   GEORGE   H.    ROHE. 

Chlorine. — The  most  thorough  and  exact  research  into  the  disinfect- 
ant powers  of  chlorine  on  record  is  that  made  by  Fischer  and  Proskauer, 
and  published  in  the  second  volume  of  Mittheilungen  aus  dent  Kaiser- 
lichen  Gesundheitsamtc.  The  material  tested  consisted  of  the  spores  of 
bacillus  anthracis,  spores  of  the  various  forms  of  bacilli  found  in  ordinary 
garden  soil,  micrococcus  tetragenus,  micrococcus  prodigiosus,  bacillus 
of  septicaemia  of  mice,  bacillus  of  septicaemia  of  rabbits,  aspergillus  ni- 
grescens  and  aspergillus  ruber,  micrococcus  of  erysipelas,  sputum  of 
tuberculosis,  bacillus  anthracis,  bacterium  of  fowl  cholera,  and  various 
other  non-pathogenic  micro-organisms. 

The  observations  were  made  both  in  dry  air  and  in  air  artificially 
moistened,  and  the  objects  to  be  disinfected  were  sometimes  exposed  in 
a  dry,  sometimes  in  a  moist,  condition.  The  concentration  of  the  gas 
varied  from  1  part  in  25,000  to  1  part  in  2J.  The  time  of  exposure  in 
the  different  experiments  varied  from  one  to  twenty-four  hours. 

Anthrax  spores,  when  thoroughly  desiccated  and  exposed  to  the  action 
of  a  dry  chlorine  atmosphere  containing  44.7  parts  of  chlorine  in  100, 
resisted  the  disinfectant  action  of  the  agent  completely  for  one  hour. 
After  three  hours'  exposure,  germination  wras  still  free,  but  somewhat 
retarded.  After  twenty-four  hours'  exposure,  disinfection  was  complete, 
the  vitality  of  the  organism  being  entirely  destroyed. 

When  the  air  in  the  experimental  chamber  and  the  spores  were  mois- 
tened, one  hour's  exposure  to  an  atmosphere  containing  4  per  cent,  of 
chlorine  was  sufficient  to  produce  complete  disinfection.  If  the  exposure 
was  continued  for  three  hours,  1  per  cent,  of  chlorine  was  an  efficient 
disinfectant ;  and  if  the  spores  were  exposed  for  twenty-four  hours,  the 
effective  proportion  of  chlorine  could  be  still  further  reduced  if  the  air 
and  objects  to  be  disinfected  were  first  rendered  moist. 

Bacillus  anthracis  itself  was  killed  in  moist  air,  if  chlorine  was  present, 
in  the  proportion  of  1  part  in  2,500  after  twenty-four  hours'  exposure. 
Even  with  such  a  minute  proportion  of  chlorine  as  1  part  in  25,000,  the 
development  of  the  organism  was  scanty  and  retarded. 


24  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   OAT  DISINFECTANTS. 

Spores  of  the  various  forms  of  bacilli  found  in  ordinary  garden  soil 
proved  a  little  more  resistant  to  the  action  of  the  chlorine.  When  the 
air  in  the  experimental  chamber  was  very  moist,  however,  the  presence 
of  i  per  cent,  of  chlorine,  and  upward,  rendered  the  spores  incapable  of 
development  after  three  hours'  exposure.  When  the  chlorine  strength 
was  4  per  cent.,  one  hour's  exposure  was  sufficient  to  destroy  the  germi- 
native  power  of  these  spores. 

Micrococcus  tetragenus  was  killed  in  moist  air  by  the  presence  of  so 
small  a  proportion  of  chlorine  as  i  in  25,000,  if  the  exposure  was  pro- 
longed to  twenty-four  hours.  Exposure  for  less  than  three  hours  was 
not  sufficient  to  destroy  the  life  of  the  organisms  in  all  cases. 

Micrococcus  prodigiosus,  and  several  other  varieties  of  pigment-form- 
ing micrococci,  showed  themselves  generally  more  resistant  to  the  disin- 
fectant than  micrococcus  tetragenus.  In  other  respects  they  behaved 
similarly,  exposure  for  upward  of  three  hours  being  sufficient  to  destroy 
them  in  the  presence  of  over  4  joer  cent,  of  chlorine. 

Aspergillus  nigrescens  and  aspergillus  ruber  were  rendered  incapable 
of  further  growth  by  exposure  for  one  hour  to  moist  air  containing  1  part 
of  chlorine  in  25,000. 

Micrococcus  of  erysipelas  was  killed  by  three  hours'  exposure  to  moist 
air  containing  1  part  of  chlorine  in  2,500,  or  twenty-four  hours'  exposure 
to  air  containing  1  in  25,000. 

Bacillus  of  septicaemia  of  mice  was  killed  by  exposure  to  an  atmos- 
phere containing  from  3  to  40  parts  of  chlorine  in  1,000.  The  presence 
of  5  parts  in  1 ,000  was  effective  after  one  hour's  exposure  in  a  moist 
atmosphere. 

Bacillus  of  septicaemia  of  rabbits  was  killed  by  an  exposure  of  twenty- 
four  hours  to  5  parts  in  1,000,  and  after  one  hour's  exposure  to  40  parts 
in  1 ,000,  but  retained  its  infective  properties  after  one  hour's  exposure  to 
5  parts  in  1,000. 

Tuberculous  sputum  was  disinfected  after  one  hour's  exposure  to  an 
atmosphere  containing  5  parts  of  chlorine  in  1,000. 

Bacterium  of  fowl  cholera  was  destroyed  after  exposure  for  twenty- 
four  hours  to  a  moist  atmosphere  containing  1  part  of  chlorine  in  25,000. 

Dr.  G.  M.  Sternberg  (Report  National  Board  of  Health,  1880,  p. 
320)  tested  the  effect  of  chlorine  upon  dried  vaccine  lymph  and  the  micro- 
organisms of  putrid  urine.  Six  hours'  exposure  of  vaccine  lymph,  dried 
upon  ivory  points,  to  an  atmosphere  containing  1  part  of  chlorine  in  200 
was  sufficient  to  destroy  the  infective  property  of  the  lymph,  as  tested  by 
subsequent  inoculation.  In  one  experiment  five  points  were  exposed  to 
an  atmosphere  containing  1  per  cent,  of  chlorine.  Of  these,  four  were 
disinfected,  while  the  fifth  furnished  a  satisfactory  vaccine  vesicle.  The 
failure  in  this  case  is  explained  by  Dr.  Sternberg  by  the  assumption  of 
an  unusually  thick  coating  of  dried  lymph.  In  these  experiments  con- 
trol-inoculations with  non-disinfected  virus  from  the  same  packages  were 
made  in  all  cases. 

The  bacteria  of  putrid  urine  were  destroyed  after  six  hours'  exposure 
to  an  atmosphere  containing  1  part  of  chlorine  in  400. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  2$ 

Braidwood  and  Vacher  ("  Report  of  Life-History  of  Contagium," 
British  Medical  Journal,  1876,  vol.  ii)  mixed  liquid  vaccine  virus  with 
equal  parts  of  liquor  chlori  (B.  P.),  and  completely  destroyed  the  infec- 
tivity  of  the  vaccine.     The  time  of  exposure  is  not  stated. 

Dr.  E.  B.  Baxter  (Report  of  Medical  Officer  Privy  Council,  1875), 
tested  the  effect  of  chlorine  on  liquid  and  dry  vaccine,  and  on  the  "virus 
of  infective  inflammation."  The  infectivity  of  the  latter  was  destroyed 
by  the  presence  of  8  to  15  parts  of  chlorine  in  10,000.  The  time  of  ex- 
posure to  the  action  of  the  disinfectant  is  not  stated.  The  experiments 
of  Dr.  Baxter  on  vaccine  lymph  are  not  detailed  with  sufficient  exactness 
to  allow  trustworthy  conclusions  to  be  drawn.  He  states,  however,  that 
**  unless  the  chlorine  was  present  in  sufficient  quantity  to  render  the 
lymph  acid,  it  had  no  effect." 

Koch  ( Mitthcilungen  a.  d.  Kais.  Gesundheitsamte,  Bd.  I,  p.  263) 
found  that  anthrax  spores  lost  their  power  of  development  when  im- 
mersed for  twenty-four  hours  in  chlorine  water. 

Fischer  and  Proskauer,  in  addition  to  testing  the  influence  of  chlorine 
on  micro-life,  also  exposed  a  number  of  fabrics,  colored  leather,  and 
wearing  apparel  to  the  action  of  this  agent.  All  the  colored  articles 
were  either  bleached  or  much  altered  in  color.  They  conclude  their 
elaborate  memoir  with  the  following  observation  : 

Disinfection  with  chlorine  is  attended  by  great  inconvenience  on 
account  of  the  rapid  evolution  of  the  gas  froin  the  chlorinated  li?ne 
and  hydrochloric  acid  when  mixed,  and  the  very  irritant  action  of 
the  gas  upon  the  mucous  me?nbrane  of  the  larynx  and  of  the  eyes. 
Clothing  is  also  liable  to  be  discolored  by  the  action  of  this  disinfectant. 
Bromine. — Fischer  and  Proskauer  (ibid.)  also  studied  the  effect  of  the 
vapor  of  bromine  upon  spores  of  bacillus  anthracis,  spores  of  garden  soil 
bacilli,  tuberculous  sputum,  bacillus  anthracis,  micrococcus  prodigiosus, 
micrococcus  tetragenus,  micrococcus  of  erysipelas,  aspergillus  nigrescens, 
Aspergillus  ruber,  and  several  other  non-pathogenic  organisms. 

After  an  exposure  of  three  hours  in  a  dry  atmosphere  containing  3 
parts  of  bromine  vapor  in  100,  the  anthrax  bacillus,  tuberculous  sputum, 
and  both  aspergillus  species  were  entirely  disinfected.  The  spore-bear- 
ing organisms  and  the  non-pathogenic  micrococci  retained  their  power 
of  development,  although  generally  in  a  diminished  degree.  After 
moistening  the  air  in  the  experimental  chamber  to  the  greatest  attainable 
degree,  three  hours'  exposure  to  an  atmosphere  containing  1  part  of  bro- 
mine in  500  acted  as  a  thorough  disinfectant;  if  the  exposure  was  pro- 
longed to  twenty-four  hours,  1  part  in  3,500  was  efficient.  When  the 
proportion  of  bromine  was  reduced  to  1  part  in  16,000,  exposure  for 
twenty-four  hours  failed  to  disinfect  spore-bearing  organisms. 

Upon  the  whole,  bromine  did  not  prove  as  prompt  a  disinfectant  as 
chlorine,  besides  being  very  difficult  and  dangerous  to  handle. 

Koch  x  found  a  2  per  cent,  aqueous  solution  of  bromine  effective  against 
anthrax  spores  after  twenty-four  hours'  exposure. 

1  Loco  cit. 

WlVttRSITV  OP  CALIFORNIA 
UPAftTMIttW  tH»  NOMH  ECONOMICS 


26  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

Iodine. — The  disinfecting  power  of  iodine  has  been  determined  by  Dr. 
G.  M.  Sternberg  (American  yournal  of  the  Medical  Sciences,  April, 
1S83) .  He  experimented  upon  the  micrococci  of  pus  and  of  septicaemia, 
bacterium  termo,  and  the  organisms  found  in  broken-down  beef  tea.  An 
exposure  of  two  hours  to  the  disinfectant  in  solution,  in  the  proportion  of 
1  in  500,  was  effective  in  destroying  the  vitality  of  all  of  these  organisms. 

Salmon  (Report  of  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture* 
1883)  experimented  on  the  micrococcus  of  fowl  cholera,  and  found 
iodine  an  efficient  disinfectant  in  the  proportion  of  1  part  in  1,000. 

A  solution  of  iodine  in  water  (strength  not  given)  was  found  by  Koch1 
to  destroy  the  spores  of  B.  anthracis  after  twenty-four  hours'  exposure. 

Summing  up  briefly  our  knowledge  upon  this  subject,  the  following 
conclusions  seem  to  be  justified  : 

1.  Chlorine  is  an  efficient  disinfectant  when  present  in  the  proportion 
of  1  part  in  100,  provided  the  air  and  the  objects  to  be  disinfected  are  in 
a  moist  state,  and  the  exposure  continues  for  upwards  of  one  hour. 

2.  Chlorine,  when  used  in  sufficient  concentration  to  act  as  a  trust- 
worthy disinfectant,  injures  colored  fabrics  and  wearing  apparel. 

3.  Bromine  is  an  efficient  disinfectant  in  the  proportion  of  1  part  in 
500,  provided  the  air  be  in  a  moist  state,  and  the  exposure  continues  for 
upwards  of  three  hours. 

4.  Iodine,  in  solution,  is  an  efficient  disinfectant  in  the  proportion  of  1 
part  in  500,  the  exposure  continuing  for  two  hours. 

5.  The  use  of  chlorine,  and  in  a  greater  degree  of  bromine,  requires 
considerable  experience  in  management.  When  carelessly  handled  they 
may  cause  inconvenient  or  even  dangerous  symptoms  in  persons  using 
them.  For  these  reasons  they  are  not  suitable  as  disinfectants  for  pop- 
ular use. 


CARBOLIC  ACID. 

BY   CHARLES   SMART. 

Carbolic  acid  may  be  said  to  have  been  recognized  as  an  antiseptic 
from  the  time  of  its  discovery  by  Runge,  in  1834,  in  the  distillate  from 
coal-tar.  This  is  sufficiently  attested  by  the  analogies  which  led  to  the 
use  of  the  name  coal-tar  creosote,  and  the  well  known  preservative  action 
of  the  product  from  wood.  In  Watt's  Chemical  Dictionary  we  are 
informed,  concerning  the  properties  of  carbolic  acid,  that  "fish  and 
leeches  die  when  immersed  in  the  aqueous  solution,  and  their  bodies 
subsequently  dry  up  on  exposure  to  the  air  without  putrefying."  The 
deodorant  action  of  the  acid  was  recognized  as  due  not  to  a  destruction 
of  the  offensive  products  of  putrefaction,  as  in  the  case  of  some  chem- 
icals, but  to  an  influence  on  the  process  which  gave  rise  to  them.  When 
this  process  was  shown  to  be  dependent  on  the  development,  growth, 
and  multiplication  of  certain  bacterial  forms,  a  destruction  of  their  germs, 

1  Loc.  cit. 


h'EPOKT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  2J 

or  at  least  an  interference  with  the  conditions  congenial  to  their  growth* 
was  of  necessity  assumed. 

On  this,  Prof.  Lister,  in  1867,  based  the  use  of  the  acid  in  antiseptic 
surgery.  The  success  attending  his  method  of  treatment  spread  the  fame 
of  carbolic  acid,  and  its  known  and  well  proved  antiseptic  properties  led 
to  its  investure  with  disinfectant  properties  which  were  by  no  means 
proved.  It  was  used  largely  as  a  disinfectant  in  Europe,  and  for  several 
years  was  held  in  a  similar  high  repute  in  this  country. 

The  first  experiments  to  test  its  value  failed  to  distinguish  between  the 
antiseptic  and  the  disinfectant  properties.  As  late  as  1870,  Grace  Cal- 
vert's experiments1  had  a  reference  only  to  the  delay  in  the  exhalation  of 
putrefactive  odors  from  organic  substances.  Albumen  and  flour  paste, 
which  became  offensive  in  five  and  seven  days  respectively  when  exposed 
to  the  air,  were  preserved  for  eleven  and  twenty-five  days  when  mixed 
with  five  per  cent,  of  the  acid.  Even  the  experiments  of  Shroeter,2  in 
1878,  seem  mainly  directed  to  define  an  antiseptic  value.  A  liquid,  char- 
acterized only  as  teeming  with  bacteria,  had  its  contained  organisms  ren- 
dered motionless  and  precipitated  by  the  addition  of  .05  per  cent,  of  the 
acid — a  dilution  of  1  :  2000.  Raw  flesh  in  a  dilution  of  1  :  10, 000=. 01 
per  cent.,  began  to  putrefy  at  the  end  of  six  days;  in  1  :  2000=1.05  per 
cent.,  the  liquid,  notwithstanding  the  presence  of  the  flesh,  remained 
clear  and  without  odor  for  four  weeks;  in  1  :ioooz=:.i  per  cent.,  the 
preservation  was  prolonged  from  six  to  eight  weeks;  while  in  1  1500= 
.2  per  cent,  the  liquid  remained  clear  and  free  from  all  organisms  for 
many  months.  Hence,  he  considered  that  a  solution  containing  .1  per 
cent,  of  the  acid  is  one  in  which  no  low  organisms  can  exist,  and  that  a 
dilution  of  .01  per  cent,  will  retard  their  development  for  some  time. 

The  acid  was  recognized  as  being  specially  destructive  to  the  moulds, 
a  much  smaller  quantity  sufficing  to  destroy  them  than  was  requisite  to 
insure  protection  from  the  bacteria  of  putrefaction.  Thus,  Baxter8  quotes 
Manassein  as  authority  for  the  statement  that  one  sixteenth  of  one  per 
cent,  deprived  the  spores  of  penicillium  of  their  germinating  power  ;  and 
Schroeter  found  that  the  vapor  of  the  acid  arrested  the  development  of 
penicillium  and  mucor,  and  destroyed  their  spores.  One  thorough  fumi- 
gation ot  a  mould-infected  chamber  acted  so  radically  that  for  six  weeks 
afterwards  no  trace  of  the  fungi  was  discovered. 

It  became  evident,  however,  to  the  experimenters  having  this  matter 
in  view,  that  the  acid  might  interfere  with  the  development  of  the  bac- 
teria of  putrefaction  without  destroying  their  power  of  multiplication 
when  transferred  to  a  more  congenial  environment.  Hence,  culture 
experiments  were  instituted  on  the  bacteria  that  had  been  subjected  to 
the  influence  of  the  acid.  Moreover,  it  was  recognized  that  experiments 
on  the  bacteria  of  putrefaction  were  by  no  means  satisfactory  as  argu- 

1 Chemical  News,  London,  1870,  vol.  xxiii,  p.  281. 

»"  Beitrage  zur  Biologie  der  Pflanzen,"  Breslau,  187S,  3  Heft,  S.  30  et  seq. 

8"  Report  of  the  Medical  Officers  of  the  Privy  Council  and  Local  Gov't  Board."  London,  1875. 
P.  216,  et  seq. 


28  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

ments  on  the  vitality  of  the  disease  germs  which  were  concerned  in  the 
process  of  disinfection.  Hence  were  instituted  experiments  on  certain 
infective  matters. 

Braidwood  and  Vacher  investigated  the  action  of  the  acid  on  vaccine 
lymph  in  1S70,  and  verified  their  results  in  1876.1  On  four  children 
vaccinated  with  lymph  containing  2.5  per  cent,  of  acid,  six  vesicles  were 
obtained  at  ten  points  of  insertion.  In  these  instances  the  lymph  was 
removed  from  the  arm,  mixed  in  a  watch-glass  with  the  acid,  and  applied 
at  once.  A  second  group  of  children,  five  in  number,  were  vaccinated 
in  a  similar  way  ;  but  the  mixtures  used  had  been  preserved  in  Hus- 
band's capillary  tubes  for  seventeen  days,  three  weeks,  four  weeks,  and 
six  weeks  respectively.  These  inoculations  all  failed,  and  the  children 
afterwards  underwent  a  successful  normal  vaccination.  Similar  results 
were  obtained  by  trying  the  carbolated  lymph  on  a  heifer. 

Meanwhile,  Dougall,  in  1S73,  operated  on  vaccine  lymph,  making  use 
of  subsequent  vaccination  as  the  test  of  the  action  of  the  carbolic  acid  on 
the  virus.  He  exposed  the  lymph  in  a  bell  jar  of  one  cubic  foot  capacity 
for  thirty-six  hours,  and  after  mixing  it  with  glycerine  and  water,  sealed 
it  up  in  capillary  tubes  until  used  for  vaccination.  The  lymph  thus 
treated  produced  satisfactory  vesicles.  Led  by  this  result,  he  then  treat- 
ed fresh  vaccine  with  one  per  cent,  of  pure  carbolic  acid,  and  found  its 
infective  property  undiminished.  But  about  the  same  time  Hoppe  Sey- 
ler2  determined  that  two  per  cent,  of  the  acid  destroyed  the  activity  of 
vaccine  virus  ;  and  two  years  later,  Baxter,  in  his  careful  work  for  the 
British  health  authorities,  was  also  successful  in  destroying  the  virus,  as 
proved  by  subsequent  inoculation  with  the  disinfected  matter.  He  ex- 
posed dry  vaccine  to  carbolic  acid  vapor  in  a  bottle  one  third  filled  with 
the  acid,  and  found  that  when  the  period  of  exposure  was  less  than  thirty 
minutes  the  infection  was  but  slightly  if  at  all  impaired.  When  the  ex- 
posure extended  to  thirty  minutes,  disinfection  was  effected  in  one  speci- 
men, while  another  produced  two  vesicles  for  three  insertions.  In  two 
instances,  in  which  the  exposure  was  prolonged  for  sixty  minutes,  the 
virus  proved  inefficient  when  subsequently  used.  He  also  found  that 
while  the  presence  of  one  per  cent,  of  carbolic  acid  in  liquid  vaccine 
exerted  no  influence  on  its  activity,  two  per  cent,  destroyed  its  infective 
power  with  certainty. 

Dougall,  returning  to  this  subject  in  1879, 3  concluded  from  some  of  his 
experiments  that  if  the  vaccine  were  used  immediately  after  its  exposure 
to  the  carbolic  acid,  or  if  hermetically  sealed  in  the  meantime,  the  virus 
would  fail,  but  that  if  exposed  to  the  air  after  being  carbolized  it  would 
recover  its  activity.  Thus  sixty  parts  of  vaccine  and  forty  of  acid,  when 
used  immediately  after  mixture,  gave  no  results,  but  when  used  after  a 
free  exposure  to  the  air  during  fourteen  days,  it  was  found  to  have  re- 
covered its  active  properties.      He  therefore  concluded  that  the  infected 

lu  British  Med.  Association.     Scientific  Reports."     London,  1876. 
*Arch.  Gen.,  May,  1863,  p.  633. 
sBritish  Med.  Jour.,  1S79,  vol.  ii,  p.  726. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  29 

particles  of  the  lymph  became  covered  with  coagulated  albumen  of  the 
vaccine  liquid,  and  that  in  vaccination  the  free  acid  coagulated  the  con- 
tents of  the  dermal  capillaries  and  rendered  absorption  impossible.  But 
these  experiments  of  Dr.  Dougall  did  not  succeed  in  the  hands  of  J.  W. 
Miller,  of  Dundee.1 

He  prepared  four  specimens,  each  containing  two  parts  of  carbolic 
acid  and  three  of  vaccine.  The  mixtures  were  exposed  to  the  air  for 
fourteen  days  before  use  ;  and  in  each  of  the  four  experiments  the  lymph 
was  barren.  Two  experiments  were  made  with  vaccine  which  had  been 
exposed  to  the  air  for  fourteen  days  after  its  admixture  with  five  per  cent, 
of  the  acid  ;  in  one  of  these  the  lymph  was  barren,  in  the  other  an  im- 
perfect vesicle  was  obtained.  One  experiment,  however,  appeared  to 
verify  Dr.  Dougall's  results  :  equal  parts  of  vaccine  and  glycerine  of  car- 
bolic acid,  after  exposure  to  the  air  during  fourteen  days,  yielded  a  good 
vesicle.  But  Miller  was  inclined  to  view  this  result  with  suspicion,  and 
attributed  it  to  pure  lymph  rubbed  off  by  inadvertence  from  some  of  the 
other  points  of  insertion  on  the  child's  arm. 

But  other  liquids  containing  germs  or  infective  matter  were  used  by 
the  investigators.  Rosenbach,2  in  1873,  injected  dogs  and  rabbits  with 
unhealthy  pus,  to  which  five  per  cent,  of  the  acid  had  been  added,  the 
general  tenor  of  his  results  showing  that  disinfection  had  been  accom- 
plished. Baxter,  two  years  later,  experimented  with  the  virus  derived 
from  the  peritoneal  cavity  of  guinea-pigs  that  had  succumbed  to  infective 
peritonitis.  The  length  of  time  during  which  the  virus  was  exposed  to 
the  action  of  the  acid  varied  from  thirty  minutes  to  three  hours,  thorough 
admixture  having  been  effected  in  the  meantime.  In  one  set  of  experi- 
ments, two  per  cent,  and  one  per  cent,  of  the  acid  destroyed  the  infec- 
tion, as  the  animals  inoculated  with  the  mixture  did  not  suffer.  In  a  sec- 
ond series  of  experiments,  one  per  cent,  was  efficient  for  protection,  but 
with  a  virus  containing  only  .5  per  cent,  the  animal  died  in  forty 
hours  from  acute  cellulitis.  In  a  third  series,  one  per  cent,  was  efficient, 
but  death  occurred  with  .5  per  cent,  in  eighteen  hours.  In  the  fourth 
series,  one  per  cent,  proved  again  protective  against  the  infective  mate- 
rial. Similar  inoculation  experiments  with  the  virus  of  glanders  showed 
that  two  per  cent,  of  carbolic  acid  destroyed  its  infection,  while  .5  per 
cent,  failed  to  act  as  a  disinfectant. 

By  culture  experiments,  Sternberg,  in  18S3,8  showed  that  the  micro- 
coccus of  pus  has  its  vitality  destroyed  so  that  it  fails  to  develop  when 
introduced  into  a  sterilized  bouillon  after  an  admixture  of  two  hours  with 
.8  per  cent,  of  the  acid,  while  with  .5  per  cent,  its  subsequent  cultiva- 
tion was  successful  ;  and  that  the  micrococcus  of  septicaemia  is  destroyed 
by  .5,  but  not  by  .25  per  cent.  This  defines  the  germicide  limits  of 
the  acid  in  respect  to  these  organisms.  On  the  other  hand,  when  car- 
bolic acid  was  added  to  the  sterilized  culture-liquid,  a  much  smaller  per- 

1Med.  Record,  Sept.,  1873,  p.  427. 
^Practitioner,  Sept.,  1884,  p.  146. 
*Amer.  Jour.  Med.  Sciences,  April,  1883. 


30  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

centage  than  was  needful  for  a  germicidal  action  sufficed  to  prevent  the 
development  of  the  micrococci  of  pus  and  of  septicaemia  when  implanted 
for  cultivation.  Thus,  .2  per  cent,  prevented  the  development  of  the 
organisms,  while  .1  per  cent,  failed  to  protect  the  culture-liquid  from 
its  attack.  Similar  results  were  obtained  with  the  micrococcus  of  septi- 
caemia. This  defines  the  antiseptic  limits  of  the  acid  in  respect  to  these 
•organisms. 

Baxter  was  of  opinion  that  the  length  of  time  during  which  the  acid  was 
permitted  to  act  upon  the  infective  material  was  of  no  importance,  pro- 
vided that  thorough  mixture  was  insured.  This  implies  a  belief  in  the  in- 
stantaneous action  of  the  acid  on  the  active  principle  of  the  virus.  Some 
experiments  by  Koch1  in  1SS1,  Salmon2  in  1883,  and  Schill  and  Fischer3 
in  1S84,  indicate  that  time  of  exposure,  as  well  as  strength  of  solution, 
•enters  as  an  element  into  the  question  of  disinfection.  Thus,  the  last 
mentioned  investigators,  operating  on  fresh  tubercular  sputa,  found  that 
disinfection  was  accomplished  by  treatment  with  three,  two,  or  even  one 
per  cent,  of  acid  for  twenty  hours  ;  but  that  five  per  cent,  failed  to  dis- 
infect when  the  period  of  digestion  was  limited  to  two  hours.  Post- 
mortem examinations  discovered  sound  organs  in  the  animals  inoculated 
with  the  former  mixtures,  and  tubercular  disease  in  those  of  the  speci- 
mens treated  with  the  latter  and  stronger  mixture.  Salmon,  operating 
on  the  micrococcus  of  fowl  cholera,  obtained  the  destruction  of  the  virus 
by  one  per  cent,  of  the  acid,  the  test  being  inoculation.  In  some  experi- 
ments, in  which  the  test  was  cultivation,  one  per  cent,  succeeded,  and  .5 
per  cent,  failed  to  destroy  the  power  of  germination  when  the  digestion 
with  the  acid  was  continued  for  one  and  a  half  hours  ;  but.  5  per  cent, 
was  successful  wrhen  the  digestion  was  prolonged  for  twenty-four  hours. 

The  bacilli  and  spores  of  anthrax  have  been  subjected  to  a  number  of 
experiments,  of  which  those  of  Davaine4  are  the  earliest.  The  blood  ot 
an  infected  animal,  diluted  with  one  hundred  parts  of  water,  was  used. 
This  was  found  to  be  speedily  fatal  to  guinea-pigs  when  injected  under 
the  skin,  but  its  virulence  was  destroyed  on  treatment  for  an  hour  with 
one  per  cent,  of  carbolic  acid.  Koch  found  that  the  spores  of  anthrax 
had  their  vitality  destroyed  by  immersion  for  twenty-four  hours  in  a  five 
per  cent,  aqueous  solution  of  the  acid.  A  two  per  cent,  solution  was  not 
efficacious  ;  but  after  five  days'  digestion  in  this  solution  the  development 
of  the  spores  was  somewhat  retarded.  Further  experiments  showed 
entire  failure  of  disinfection  with  a  one  and  two  per  cent,  solution  ;  suc- 
cess after  seven  days  with  three  per  cent.  ;  after  three  days  with  four  per 
cent,  and  after  two  days  with  a  five  per  cent,  solution.  Culture  in  gela- 
tine was  the  test  employed  in  these  instances.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
bacilli  wexe  destroyed  by  exposure  of  from  two  to  twenty-five  minutes  in 
.aqueous  solutions  containing  from  five  to  one  per  cent,  of  the  acid,  the 

J"Mitt.  a.  d.  Kais.  Gesundheitsamte,"  1 881,  vol.  I. 
2  "  Report  Dept.  Agriculture,  U.  S."     1883. 
s "Mitt.  a.  d.  Kais.  Gesundheitsamte,"  1883,  vol.  ii. 
iComptes  Rendus,  Oct.  13,  1873. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  3 1 

test  being  culture  in  solidified  blood-serum.  The  culture  in  gelatine  of 
the  anthrax  spores  was  not  prevented  by  their  antecedent  immersion  for 
one  hundred  and  ten  days  in  oil  containing  five  per  cent,  of  the  acid,  nor 
by  seventy  days  in  alcohol  of  the  same  carbolic  strength.  An  oleaginous 
five  per  cent,  solution  diminished  the  development  of  the  bacilli  in  three 
or  four  days,  and  accomplished  disinfection  on  the  sixth  day,  as  shown 
by  the  failure  of  subsequent  efforts  at  cultivation.  Even  a  one  per  cent, 
solution  in  oil  destroyed  their  power  of  development  on  the  sixth  day, 
but  it  is  to  be  observed  that  a  similar  result  followed  the  use  of  pure  olive 
oil.  Arloing,  Cornevin,  and  Thomas1  found  that  the  virulence  of  anthrax 
spores  persisted  after  an  immersion  of  forty-eight  hours  in  alcohol  con- 
taining two  per  cent,  of  the  acid,  while  it  was  destroyed  by  the  action  of 
the  same  percentage  in  water.  Blyth2  also  experimented  with  these 
spores.  He  showed  the  inefficiency  of  the  carbolic  acid  powders — Cal- 
vert's, Jeyes's,  and  McDougall's.  The  spores  invariably  developed  not- 
withstanding contact  with  the  powder  for  twenty-four  hours.  A  one  per 
cent,  carbolic  solution  had  no  effect  on  their  development ;  five  per  cent, 
retarded  their  growth  ;  twenty-five  per  cent,  in  alcohol  rendered  them 
incapable  of  germinating  in  broth. 

While  these  investigators  were  testing  the  power  of  carbolic  acid  on 
certain  disease-producing  substances,  many  series  of  experiments  were 
performed  on  the  bacteria  of  putrefaction,  with  a  view  of  determining 
the  germicidal  as  well  as  the  antiseptic  powers  of  the  acid  on  the  organ- 
isms, the  latter  being  expressed  by  the  quantity  of  acid  required  to  be 
added  to  a  nutritive  liquid  in  order  to  restrain  their  growth,  and  the  for- 
mer to  prevent  them  from  multiplying  when  subsequently  transferred  to 
a  suitable  culture-liquid. 

Baxter's  experiments  showed  that  .5  and  .1  per  cent,  were  required 
for  the  germicidal  action,  the  larger  percentage  being  requisite  when  the 
liquid  was  albuminous.  Hamlet,8  operating  on  Pasteur's  liquid  contain- 
ing B.punctum,  B.  tcrmo,  and  M.  crepusculum,  found  a  slight  diminu- 
tion in  the  number  of  moving  bacteria  after  standing  five  days  mixed 
with  one  per  cent,  of  carbolic  acid,  while  with  five  per  cent,  few  of  the 
bacteria  showed  signs  of  movement.  Nevertheless,  in  this  last  experi- 
ment their  vitality  persisted,  for  when  a  little  of  the  solution  was  trans- 
ferred to  a  large  quantity  of  Pasteur's  liquid,  the  whole  was  in  two  days 
teeming  with  bacteria.  Notter's4  results  were  to  the  effect  that  3.3,  5, 
and  6  per  cent,  of  carbolic  acid  did  not  destroy  the  movements  of  the 
bacteria  in  a  putrid  infusion  of  beef,  even  after  the  lapse  of  seven  days. 
Jalan  de  la  Croix5  found  that  when  two  drops  of  a  liquid  teeming  witn 
bacteria  are  added  to  a  sterilized  meat-juice,  the  acid  must  be  present  in 
the  proportion  1  :66o,  to  prevent  development;  but  to  produce  a  germi- 

^Comptes  Rendus  Soc.  de  Biolog.     Septieme  serie,  t.  iv. 

^Medical  Times  and  Gazette,  Oct.  11,  1884,  p.  498. 

zJour.  CJiem.  Soc,  London,  1881,  xxxix,  p.  326. 

^Dublin  Jour.  Med.  Sciences,  1879,  vol.  68,  p.  196. 

5  "Arch,  fuer  Experimentelle  Pathologic"    Leipzig,  1881,  p.  175,  et.  sea. 


32  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

cidal  effect  in  this  weak  bacterial  liquid,  acid  in  the  proportion  i  :22 
had  to  be  added.  The  bacteria  in  broken-down  meat  infusion  were 
killed  by  immersion  for  twenty-four  hours  in  a  solution  of  i  :  22,  although 
not  in  1  .-42  ;  but  to  prevent  the  development  of  germs  when  this  liquid 
was  introduced  into  a  sterilized  infusion,  it  was  necessary  to  give  them  a 
preparatory  soaking  for  twenty-four  hours  in  an  acid  of  the  strength 
1  :2.66,  for  a  solution  of  1  :\  did  not  deprive  them  of  their  fecundity.  To 
prevent  the  decomposition  of  boiled  meat-juice  by  germs  falling  into  it 
from  the  air,  1  1402  was  required;  but  for  an  unboiled  infusion  1  1502 
sufficed  ;  and  to  prevent  the  development  of  the  germs  in  the  former 
when  transferred  to  a  sterilized  liquid,  1  :22  was  required,  while  those 
in  the  latter  were  not  deprived  of  their  germinating  power  by  1:10. 
Vallin1  justly  remarks  of  De  la  Croix's  experiments,  that  they  must  be 
accepted  with  some  reserve,  since  it  is  contrary  to  the  general  experience 
that  a  boiled  liquid  should  require  more  of  an  antiseptic  to  preserve  it 
than  one  which  had  not  been  boiled.  Sternberg  found  that  .2  per  cent, 
was  antiseptic  in  view  of  B.  termo,  but  one  per  cent,  was  required  for 
action  as  a  germicide.  He  further  found  that  the  bacteria  in  broken- 
down  beef  tea  retained  their  vitality  after  an  exposure  of  two  hours  to  a 
four  per  cent,  solution. 

Turning  from  these  experiments  in  which  the  carbolic  acid  was  used 
in  the  form  of  liquid  to  those  in  which  its  vapor  was  employed,  we  find 
the  following,  in  addition  to  those  already  mentioned  in  connection  with 
antiseptics,  the  destruction  of  moulds,  and  of  the  vaccine  efficiency. 

Perrin  and  Marty2  failed  to  prevent  the  decomposition  of  barley-water, 
milk,  blood,  urine,  etc.,  by  the  atomization  of  a  five  per  cent,  carbolic 
liquid.  Schotte  and  Gartner3  volatilized  carbolic  acid  by  heat  in  a  closed 
chamber  in  which  were  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  vapor  liquids  con- 
taining bacteria  and  woollen  cloths  that  had  been  dipped  in  these  liquids, 
determining  at  the  close  of  the  exposure  whether  the  fecundity  ot  the  bac- 
teria had  survived  by  transferring  them  to  a  sterilized  culture-liquid.  For 
efficient  disinfection,  rapid  evolution  of  the  carbolic  vapors  was  required. 
The  bacteria  in  the  exposed  liquids  were  destroyed  by  the  diffusion  of 
7.5  grammes  of  carbolic  acid  per  cubic  metre,  but  those  in  the  impreg- 
nated cloths  required  a  stronger  diffusion,  12.5  grammes,  when  the  fab- 
rics were  damp,  and  15  grammes  when  they  were  dry. 

From  a  survey  of  these  experiments  on  carbolic  acid,  performed  since 
the  introduction  of  methods  of  precision  in  testing  germicidal  or  disin- 
fectant properties,  the  value  of  the  acid  in  these  respects  may  be  deter- 
mined. 

One  per  cent,  in  an  aqueous  solution  has  destroyed  with  certainty  the 
virulence  of  septic  and  purulent  matters,  of  the  tubercle  bacillus,  and  of 
the  micrococci  of  fowl  cholera  ;  some  of  the  organisms  related  to  putre- 
faction have  also  been  destroyed  by  solutions  of  this  strength.     But  to 

luTraite  des  Disinfectants  etde  la  Disinfection."     Paris,  18S2,  p.  163. 

1 "  Bulletin  de  la  Soc.  de  Chir.,"  1879,  *•  v->  P-  lS3- 

'"Deutscher  Verein  fur  Oeffentliche  Gesundhpflege,"  1880,  t.  xii,  p.  337, et  seq. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  33 

produce  these  results,  in  some  instances,  the  contact  with  the  disinfectant 
had  to  be  continued  for  many  hours.  Two  per  cent,  of  the  acid  in  an 
aqueous  solution  was  required  to  destroy  the  infection  of  vaccine  and 
glanders ;  but  some  of  the  experiments  on  the  former  seem  to  indicate 
that  no  destruction  of  the  virus  was  effected,  but  merely  a  suspension  of 
its  powers,  which  were  recovered  on  the  dissipation  of  the  acid  by  subse- 
quent prolonged  exposure  to  the  air.  The  spores  of  anthrax  did  not  lose 
their  ability  to  germinate  unless  treated  with  a  five  per  cent,  solution  for 
twenty-four  hours,  or  with  a  weaker  solution  for  a  longer  time.  Lastly, 
as  showing  how  little  reliance  can  be  placed  on  carbolic  acid  as  a  disin- 
fectant, except  in  special  instances,  as  in  those  above  mentioned  where 
its  effects  have  been  determined,  the  organisms  in  broken-down  beef  tea 
were  not  deprived  of  their  reproductive  powers  by  treatment  with  four 
per  cent,  acid,  Sternberg,  nor  with  six  per  cent.,  Notter,  nor  with  ten  per 
cent.,  De  la  Croix; — the  last  observer,  indeed,  asserts  that  about  thirty 
per  cent,  (i  :  2.66)  was  needful  to  effect  this  object. 

The  large  percentage  of  the  acid  required  for  disinfectant  or  germicidal 
action  when  applied  directly  in  the  liquid  form,  prepares  us  for  its  failure 
when  used  in  the  form  of  vapor.  Douglas  and  Baxter,  from  the  results 
of  their  experiments  on  vaccine,  concluded  that  aerial  disinfection  by  car- 
bolic acid  vapor  was  practically  impossible.  The  atomizer,  however, 
offered  better  facilities  for  the  diffusion  of  the  vapor  ;  and  Strott1  in  1876, 
and  Wernich2  in  1883,  recommended  the  use  of  the  spray  as  protective 
against  albuminoid  contagious  principles.  But  the  experiments  of  Per- 
rin  and  Marty,  and  of  Schotte  and  Gartner,  demonstrated  its  inutility  as 
against  bacterial  life. 

The  valuable  antiseptic  properties  of  the  acid  do  not  come  within  the 
scope  of  this  article,  although  they  have  been  in  a  measure  indicated 
incidentally. 


DISINFECTION  WITH  MINERAL  ACIDS. 

BY  VICTOR   C    VAUGHAN. 

Disinfection  with  mineral  acids  in  one  form  or  another  has  long  been 
practised.  Sulphurous  acid  was  used  by  the  ancient  Greeks  in  the  puri- 
fication of  their  temples  after  sacrificial  offerings  had  been  made.  In 
1773  Morveau  recommended  the  vapor  of  hydrochloric  acid,  produced  by 
the  action  of  sulphuric  acid  on  sodium  chloride.  In  1780  Smyth  began 
the  use  of  nitrous  acid  vapor  as  a  disinfectant.  During  the  present  cen- 
tury, many  experiments  have  been  made  for  the  purpose  of  determining 
the  value  of  the  mineral  acids  as  disinfectants,  both  in  liquid  and  in  vapor 
form.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this  paper  to  review  briefly  these  reports,  and 
to  ascertain  what  conclusions  may  be  drawn  therefrom.     Since  sulphu- 

1 "  Ventilation  und  Desinfection  der  Wohnraume,"  Hoitzminden,  1876,  p.  19. 
•*'  Real-Encyclopadie  der  Gesammten,"  Heilkunde,  1883,  B.  15,  S.  170,  et  seq. 


34 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


rous  acid  will  be  discussed  in  another  paper,  no  further  mention  will  be 
made  of  it  here.1 

Hydrochloric  Acid.  Dougall2  found  that  vaccine  virus,  exposed  under 
a  bell-jar  of  a  cubic  foot  capacity,  for  twenty-four  hours,  to  the  vapor  of 
the  acid,  became  inert.  After  exposure,  the  lymph  was  mixed  with 
glycerine  and  water,  and  the  reaction  of  the  mixture  (acid)  was  noted. 
The  mixture  was  then  hermetically  sealed  in  tubes,  and  so  kept  until 
used.  Dr.  Dougall  believed  that  the  effectiveness  of  the  vapor  was  due 
to  its  rendering  the  virus  acid.  In  proof  of  this  he  gives  the  following 
tabular  statement  of  the  reaction  of  the  lymph  and  glycerine  mixture  used 
in  his  successful  and  unsuccessful  vaccinations  after  exposure  to  different 
agents : 


Successful  vaccina- 

Reaction of  the 

Vaccination  not 

Reaction  of  the 

tion.     Virus  not 

lymph  and  glycerine 

successful.   Virus 

lymph  and  glycerine 

destroyed. 

mixture. 

destroyed. 

mixture. 

Carbolic  acid  vapor. 

Nutral. 

Chloride  of  lime. 

Acid. 

Carbolic  acid. 

u 

Sulphurous  acid. 

« 

Chloroform. 

Alkaline. 

Nitrous  acid. 

« 

Camphor. 

« 

Glacial  acetic  acid. 

<« 

Sulphuric  ether. 

«« 

Hydrochloric  acid. 

u 

Iodine. 

Neutral. 

Commenting  upon  the  above  table,  Dr.  Dougall  states, — "These  results 
per  se  are  singularly  and  suggestively  explicit.  They  show  that  the 
mixture  of  lymph  and  glycerine  of  the  successful  vaccinations  was  either 
neutral  or  alkaline  ;  while  that  of  the  unsuccessful  was,  without  excep- 
tion, acid.  Hence,  volatile  acids,  or  a  volatile  body  causing  acidity  by 
chemical  affinity,  as  the  chlorine  from  the  chloride  of  lime,  which  pro- 
duces hypochloric  acid  and  free  oxygen,  are  the  best  destructives  of  the 
active  properties  of  vaccine  lymph,  and  therefore  a  priori  of  variolous 
matter  and  other  zymotica.8  The  same  theory  is  insisted  upon  by  Dr. 
Dougall  in  a  later  paper.4  Results  with  hydrochloric  acid  vapor,  similar 
to  those  obtained  by  Dougall,  were  reached  by  Braidwood  and  Vacher  in 
eight  experiments.5 

Koch6  ascertained  by  cultivation  that  anthrax  spores  were  destroyed 

1See  papers  by  Drs.  Sternberg  and  Raymond  in  this  series  of  reports. 

2 "Glasgow  Medical  Journal,"  vol.  5,  p.  166. 

3Loc.  cit.,  p.  168. 

4"  British  Med.  Journ.,"  voi.  ii,  p.  726,  1879. 

«Life  History  of  Contagium. 

«  Mittheilungen  a.  d.  Kais.  Gesundheitsamte,  B.  I.  S.  263. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  35 

after  ten  days'  exposure  to  a  2  per  cent,  solution  of  the  acid  ;  but  that  ex- 
posure from  one  to  five  days  failed  to  destroy  the  spores. 

Dr.  Sternberg,  in  some  experiments  made  for  this  report,  found  hydro- 
chloric acid  to  fail  as  a  disinfectant  when  used  in  10  per  cent,  solution, 
and  to  be  successful  when  the  strength  was  increased  to  15  per  cent. 
Each  c.  c.  of  the  acid  used  by  Dr.  Sternberg  contained  .395  gramme  of 
HC1. 

Sulphuric  Acid.  Koch1  noticed  diminished  development  of  anthrax 
spores  after  exposure  to  a  1  per  cent,  solution  of  sulphuric  acid  for  twenty 
days.  The  test  was  by  cultivation.  Salmon,2  experimenting  upon  the 
micrococcus  of  fowl  cholera,  fjund  one  half  per  cent,  solution  of  sulphu- 
ric acid  successful  as  a  disinfectant,  tested  by  inoculation  ;  but  one  fourth 
and  one  eighth  per  cent,  solutions  unsuccessful,  tested  by  cultivation. 
Sternberg8  states  that  "  sulphuric  acid  destroys  B.  termo  and  the  two 
species  of  micrococcus  experimented  upon  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  200; 
but  a  4  per  cent,  solution  failed  to  destroy  the  bacteria  in  broken-down 
beef  tea  (old  stock) ,  doubtless  because  of  the  presence  of  reproductive 
spores.  The  multiplication  of  the  bacteria  mentioned  was  prevented  by 
the  presence  of  this  acid  in  a  culture  solution  of  1  :  800.  Dr.  Sternberg 
has  given  the  per  cent,  of  sulphuric  acid  necessary  to  insure  disinfection 
at  8.     Each  c.  c.  of  the  acid  used  contained  1.480  gramme  H2S04. 

Nitrous  Acid.  Dougall4  found  that  vaccine  lymph,  exposed  to  nitrous 
acid  under  a  bell-jar  of  one  cubic,  foot  capacity  for  twenty-four  hours,  was 
rendered  inert.  The  lymph  was  treated  as  given  under  hypochloric  acid, 
and  the  action  was  supposed  to  be  due  to  rendering  the  lymph  acid. 

Notter5  has  experimented  upon  nitrous'  acid  as  an  aerial  disinfectant. 
However,  his  conclusions  are  not  wholly  trustworthy,  as  he  considered 
the  bacteria  destroyed,  when  their  motion  was  only  arrested.  He  says, — 
"  I  believe  the  full  effect  of  the  agent  to  be  produced  when  there  is  arrest 
of  motion,  with  complete  precipitation  and  disorganization  of  the  bacteria, 
and  I  have  endeavored  in  each  case  to  look  for  this  result.  One  hundred 
c.  c.  of  putrid  beef  infusion  in  saucers *were  placed  in  a  chamber,  of  a 
cubic  capacity  of  fifty-three  feet,  with  two  ounces  of  copper  wire,  and 
fifty  c.  c.  of  concentrated  nitric  acid,  yielding  .35  per  cent,  of  nitrous 
acid.  Soon  the  bacteria  became  less  active,  and  in  forty-eight  hours  the 
activity  was  still  further  diminished,  and  a  heavy  precipitation  of  the  or- 
ganisms was  noticed.  The  infusion  was  free  from  odor.  On  the  third 
day  there  was  no  tendency  to  the  further  development  of  the  bacteria, 
and' the  liquid  was  quite  inodorous.  At  the  end  of  a  week  there  was  no 
further  decomposition,  and  the  infusion  was  found  to  be  strongly  acid. 

Sternberg6  found  that  exposure  of  vaccine  virus  for  six  hours  to  an 
atmosphere  containing   1  per  cent,  of  nitrous  acid  vapor  destroyed  the 

1  Loc.  cit,  p.  264. 

2  Report  Dept.  Agriculture,  1883. 
8  Bacteria,  p.  223. 

*  Loc.  cit. 

B"  Dublin  Journal  Med.  Sciences,"  vol.  71,  p.  508. 

•National  Board  of  Health  Bulletin,  p.  2S7. 


36  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

germs  ;  also,  that  the  bacteria  of  putrid  urine  was  destroyed  when  exposed 
on  filter  paper  for  six  hours  to  an  atmosphere  containing  one  half  per 
cent,  of  nitrous  acid  gas. 

Nitric  Acid.  Dr.  Sternberg  has  ascertained  that  nitric  acid  fails  as  a 
disinfectant  in  solutions  of  5  per  cent.,  but  is  effectual  in  solutions  of  8  per 
cent.     Each  c.  c.  of  the  acid  used  contained  .819  gramme  of  HNO3. 

Chromic  Acid.  Koch1  ascertained  thatunthrax  spores  were  destroyed 
by  exposure  to  1  per  cent,  solutions  of  chromi:  acid  after  from  one  to  two 
days. 

Osmic  Acid.  Koch2  found,  by  cultivation,  that  anthrax  spores  were 
destroyed  by  exposure  for  twenty-four  hours  to  1  per  cent,  of  osmic  acid. 

Practical  Considerations  of  the  Use  of  the  Mineral  Acids  as  Disin- 
fectants. The  action  of  10  and  5  per  cent,  solutions  of  sulphuric,  nitric, 
and  hydrochloric  acids  upon  lead  pipes  was  tried,  with  the  results  given 
in  the  accompanying  table.  Weighed  pieces  of  lead  pipe  were  placed  in 
the  dilute  acids,  and  the  loss  was  determined  by  subsequent  weighings. 
This  represents  a  more  powerful  action  than  would  result  simply  from 
the  rapid  passage  of  the  disinfectant  through  the  pipes  ;  but  the  table 
gives  results  which  would  be  obtained  by  the  solution  standing  in  a  trap. 
At  the  time  of  each  weighing,  the  dilute  acid  was  replaced  by  a  fresh 
portion. 

The  experiments  were  continued  until  the  nitric  acid  had  completely 
destroyed  the  pipe  ;  but  as  the  results  are  sufficiently  shown  by  the  follow- 
ing figures,  it  is  unnecessary  to  give  the  table  in  full.  After  a  number  of 
days  there  was  a  slight  increase  in  the  weight  of  the  pipes  placed  in  the 
sulphuric  acid  solutions.  All  the  acids  used  were  of  the  commercial 
grade.  We  also  have  figures  showing  the  action  of  the  dilute  acids  upon 
iron  pipes  ;  but,  as  this  action  is  rapidly  destructive  with  all  the  acids,  it 
is  unnecessary  to  give  the  figures.  In  order  of  disintegrating  effects  upon 
iron  pipes,  sulphuric  acid  acts  with  most  vigor ;  while  there  is  not  much 
difference  in  the  effects  produced  by  the  same  strength  solutions  of  nitric 
and  hydrochloric  acids.  The  action  upon  zinc  is  in  the  same  order  as 
that  given  for  iron  ;  while  the  solvent  action  of  nitric  acid  on  tin  was 
found  to  be  greater  than  that  of  either  sulphuric  or  hydrochloric  acid. 

1  Loc.  cit.,  S.  264. 

2  Loc.  cit. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


37 


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38  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

THE  METALLIC  SULPHATES. 

BY   GEORGE    M.    STERNBERG. 

The  metallic  sulphates  have  been  largely  recommended  as  "disinfect- 
ants," and  directions  for  their  use  are  to  be  found  in  the  printed  circulars 
of  health  authorities  in  this  country  and  in  Europe.  In  France  the  sul- 
phate of  copper  is  a  favorite  disinfectant,  and,  as  I  shall  shortly  show,  is 
a  reliable  agent  for  the  destruction  of  germs  in  the  absence  of  spores.  It 
is  very  much  superior  to  ferric  sulphate  or  zinc  sulphate,  which  have 
been  more  extensively  used  in  our  own  country. 

The  value  of  all  these  agents  as  antiseptics  is  beyond  question  ;  and 
when  the  object  in  view  is  to  prevent  the  development  of  germs  in  privy- 
vaults,  cess-pools,  etc.,  a  solution  of  "copperas," on  account  of  its  cheap- 
ness and  efficiency,  is  especially  to  be  recommended.  But  the  directions 
often  given  for  the  use  of  dilute  solutions  of  ferric  sulphate  or  zinc  sul- 
phate, for  the  disinfection  of  the  sputa  of  patients  with  diphtheria,  the 
excreta  of  patients  with  cholera,  typhoid  fever,  etc.,  are  founded  upon  a 
mistaken  estimate  of  the  germicide  power  of  these  salts. 

The  metallic  sulphates  have  all  a  certain  value  for  the  prevention  of 
putrefactive  fermentation,  and  for  neutralization  of  the  volatile  products 
of  putrefaction.  They  are  therefore  "disinfectants"  in  the  popular  ac- 
ceptation of  the  term.     Thus  Vallin  says, — 

Metallic  Sulphates  in  general. — These  agents  are  disinfectants  in  the  vulgar  sense  of  the 
word.  They  diminish  or  cause  to  disappear  bad  odors,  their  action  being  limited  to  the 
neutralization  of  ammonia  and  the  decomposition  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  or  of  the 
sulph-hydrate  of  ammonia. 

In  this  group  are  the  soluble  salts  of  iron,  of  zinc,  of  copper,  of  manganese,  and  of 
lead.  The  oxides  of  these  metals,  which  are  quite  cheap,  have  also  been  recommended 
for  this  purpose,  but  the  salts  have  the  advantage  over  the  oxides  of  being  able  to  sat- 
urate ammonia  already  formed,  or  that  which  results  from  the  decomposition  of  the 
sulph-hydrate  of  ammonia.  The  oxide  of  iron,  for  example,  can  only  fix  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  by  forming  the  sulphuret  of  iron.  The  sulphate  of  iron  produces  in  addition 
the  sulphate  of  ammonia. 

These  salts,  then,  cannot  neutralize  all  bad  odors,  and  therefore  they  do  not  entirely 
merit  the  title  of  deodorants.  Bad  odors,  indeed,  owe  their  infection  to  a  great  quantity 
of  diverse  substances  which  have  not  been  completely  determined  by  chemistry,  and  of 
which  scatol  is  one  of  the  most  recently  discovered.  It  is,  then,  almost  entirely  the  two 
badly  smelling  compounds  which  have  been  longest  known,  which  are  neutralized  by 
these  metallic  salts.1 

Virchow  has  pointed  out  one  of  the  objections  to  the  use  of  the  sulphate  of  iron  for 
disinfecting  feces.  The  volatile  fat  acids,  butyric,  valerianic,  etc.,  which  have  a  disgust- 
ing odor  and  are  highly  toxic,  are  ordinarily  combined  with  ammonia.  When  we  throw 
sulphate  of  iron  upon  fecal  matter,  the  sulphuric  acid  combines  with  the  ammonia,  and 
fetid  products  are  given  off,  which  are  very  volatile. 

The  immediate  effect,  therefore,  of  throwing  sulphate  of  iron  into  latrines  is  frequently 
to  augment  the  bad  odor,  which,  however,  soon  diminishes,  but  ordinarily  reappears  after 
some  time.2 

In  what  follows  we  shall  endeavor  to  fix  the  value  of  the  metallic  sul- 
phates as  disinfectants,  in  accordance  with  the  definition  of  the  term 

xTraite  des  Disinfectants,  p.  57. 
J  Op.  cit,  p.  63. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  39 

heretofore  given  by  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants,  i.  e.,  the  germicide 
value  as  fixed  by  biological  tests. 

Ferric  Sulphate. — In  the  writer's  experiments,  published  in  the  Amer- 
ican Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences  (April,  1883),  it  was  found  that 
a  saturated  solution  of  ferric  sulphate  failed  to  destroy  the  growing  power 
of  any  of  the  test  organisms,  the  time  of  exposure  being  two  hours.  A 
recent  experiment  upon  a  micrococcus  obtained  from  the  pus  of  an  acute 
abscess  gave  a  similar  result.  The  organism  grew  freely  in  culture 
solutions  after  exposure  for  two  hours  to  a  10  per  cent,  solution. 

According  to  Arloing,  Cornevin,  and  Thomas,  exposure  to  a  20  per 
cent,  solution  for  forty-eight  hours  does  not  destroy  the  virus  of  symp- 
tomatic anthrax.  The  vitality  of  anthrax  spores  is  not  destroyed  by  ex- 
posure for  six  days  in  a  5  per  cent,  solution  (Koch).1 

Zinc  Sulphate. — In  the  writer's  experiments,  reported  in  the  Amer- 
ican Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences  (1.  c),  a  solution  of  20  per  cent, 
of  this  salt  failed  to  destroy  the  micrococcus  of  pus.  In  experiments  re- 
cently made,  the  same  micrococcus  grew  after  exposure  to  a  10  per  cent, 
solution  for  the  same  time  (two  hours),  but  development  was  somewhat 
retarded.  Another  micrococcus  ( M.  tetragenus)  was  destroyed  by  a  10 
per  cent,  solution  in  the  same  time.  Broken-down  beef  tea,  mixed  in 
equal  quantities  with  a  40  per  cent,  solution,  was  not  sterilized  at  the 
end  of  two  hours,  as  shown  by  culture  experiments  made  in  the  usual 
way. 

Koch  found  (1.  c.)  that  a  5  per  cent,  solution  had  not  destroyed  the 
growing  joower  of  anthrax  spores  at  the  end  of  ten  days,  although  their 
development  was  somewhat  retarded. 

Cupric  Sulphate. — I  have  recently  made  experiments  with  this  salt 
upon  pure  cultures  of  B.  anthracis  and  of  B.  sudtilis,  and  find  that  in 
a  20  per  cent,  solution  (equal  parts  of  a  40  per  cent,  solution  and  of  the 
culture)  it  fails  to  destroy  the  vitality  of  the  spores  of  these  bacilli  in  two 
hours'  time. 

Arloing,  Cornevin,  and  Thomas  found  that  the  dried  virus  of  symp- 
tomatic anthrax  is  destroyed  in  forty-eight  hours  by  a  solution  of  this 
strength  (20  per  cent.).  Koch  found  (1.  c.)  that  a  5  per  cent,  solution 
did  not  destroy  the  vitality  of  anthrax  spores  at  the  end  often  days,  al- 
though the  rapidity  of  development  was  somewhat  retarded. 

The  germicide  power  of  this  salt  is,  however,  decidedly  superior  to 
that  of  the  corresponding  salt  of  iron  or  of  zinc.  I  have  demonstrated 
by  recent  experiments  that  it  destroys  micrococci  in  the  proportion  of  .5 
per  cent.  (=  1  :  200).  The  experiments  were  made  upon  a  micrococ- 
cus derived  from  the  pus  of  an  acute  abscess,  and  upon  the  micrococcus 
of  swine  plague.  In  one  half  the  amount  named  (1  :  400)  it  failed  to 
destroy  the  vitality  of  these  micrococci. 

This  agent,  then,  is  a  valuable  germicide,  and  may  be  safely  recom- 
mended for  the  disinfection  of  material  not  containing  spores.     But  none 

^ee  table  on  p.  264  of  the  first  volume  of  the  "  Mittheilungen  aus  dem  Kaiserlichen  Gesundheit- 
samte." 


40  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

of  the  metallic  sulphates  can  be  relied  upon  for  the  destruction  of  spore- 
bearing  pathogenic  organisms,  and  the  germicidal  power  of  ferric  and 
zinc  sulphate  is  too  feeble  to  make  these  salts  available  for  disinfecting 
purposes,  even  in  the  absence  of  spores. 


ZINC  CHLORIDE. 


In  his  classical  essay  on  disinfection,1  Koch  expresses  astonishment 
that  an  agent,  which  proved  almost  entirely  inefficient  as  a  germicide  in 
his  experiments,  should  have  obtained  the  widespread  reputation  as  a 
disinfectant  which  chloride  of  zinc  enjoys.  He  shows  that  anthrax 
spores,  exposed  to  the  action  of  a  five  per  cent,  solution  ( i  :  20)  of  this  salt 
for  thirty  days,  germinated  as  freely  upon  a  suitable  culture  medium  as 
similar  material  not  so  exposed.  The  development  of  micrococcus  pro- 
digiosus  was  only  slightly  retarded  by  exposure  for  upwards  of  sixteen 
hours  to  a  one  per  cent.  (1  :  100)  solution.  Anthrax  spores  developed 
freely  in  a  one  tenth  per  cent.  (1  :  1000)  solution  of  this  salt. 

Mr.  A.  W.  Blyth2  says  a  one  per  cent.  (1  :  100)  solution  seemed  to 
stimulate  the  growth  of  anthrax  spores;  five  per  cent.  (1  :  20)  failed  to 
destroy  their  vitality  ;  while  twenty-five  per  cent.  (1:4)  seemed  to  arrest 
the  life  of  the  spores. 

Dr.  Sternberg3  found  two  per  cent.  (1  :  50)  destructive  to  the  micro- 
coccus of  gonorrhoeal  pus,  while  one  half  per  cent.  (1  :  200)  destroyed 
the  power  of  development  of  the  septic  micrococcus.  In  Sternberg's 
later  experiments4  ten  per  cent,  of  Squibb's  liquor  zinci  chloridi  (said  to 
contain  fifty  per  cent,  of  anhydrous  chloride  of  zinc)  was  found  effective 
in  destroying  the  organisms  of  broken-down  beef  tea.  Numerous  exper- 
iments have  shown  that  these  organisms  are  fully  as  resistant  to  most 
germicides  as  are  the  spores  of  B.  anthracis.  In  order  to  clear  up  the 
apparent  discrepancy  between  these  observations  of  Koch  and  Sternberg, 
an  additional  series  of  experiments  has  recently  been  made  by  the  latter, 
assisted  by  Dr.  A.  C.  Abbott.  These  experiments  showed  that  the 
spores  of  B.  anthracis  are  not  killed  by  an  exposure  for  two  hours  to  a 
ten  per  cent.  (1  :  10)  solution  of  this  salt.  A  five  per  cent.  (1  :  20)  solu- 
tion, acting  for  the  same  period,  was,  however,  effective  in  destroying 
the  spores  of  B.  subtilis,  and  upon  broken-down  beef-peptone  solution, 
which  had  been  freely  exposed  to  the  air,  and  consequently  contained  a 
variety  of  micro-organisms.  A  two  and  a  half  per  cent,  solution  (1  :  40) 
failed  to  sterilize  putrid  beef-peptone  solution. 

aUeber  Desinfection :  Mittheilungen  a.  d.  Kais.     Gesundheitsamte.     Bd.  I.  S.  261. 
^Medical  Times  and  Gazette,  Oct.  11,  1883. 
sAm.  Journ.  Med.  Sciences,  April,  1883,  p.  331. 
*T/ie  Medical  News,  Feb.  7,  1885. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  4 1 

The  above  experiments  indicate  that  zinc  chloride,  in  the  proportion 
of  five  per  cent,  added  to  the  material  to  be  disinfected,  can  be  relied 
upon  for  the  destruction  of  micro-organisms  in  the  absence  of  spores. 
To  destroy  the  vitality  of  anthrax  spores,  however,  a  twenty  per  cent, 
solution  is  necessary. 


MERCURIC    CHLORIDE. 

BY   GEORGE    M.    STERNBERG. 

The  use  of  corrosive  sublimate  as  a  parasiticide  and  as  an  antiseptic 
agent  for  the  preservation  of  animal  tissues,  etc.,  has  long  been  known, 
but  the  researches  which  have  established  its  value  as  a  disinfectant  are 
of  comparatively  recent  date.  These  researches,  made  during  the  past 
four  or  live  years,  have  demonstrated  that  bi-chloride  of  mercury  occu- 
pies a  leading  place  among  known  germicide  agents.  Miquel  places 
mercuric  iodide  above  the  chloride  as  an  antiseptic,  and  it  may  be  that  it 
has  a  correspondingly  greater  germicide  value.  But  from  a  practical 
point  of  view  the  chloride  must  still  be  accorded  the  first  place  on  ac- 
count of  its  cheapness  and  solubility. 

My  own  observations  are  in  accord  with  those  of  Koch,  of  Jalan  de  la 
Croix  and  others,  as  to  the  power  of  this  agent  in  dilute  solutions 
(r  :  1,000  to  1  :  10,000)  to  destroy  the  spores  of  bacilli, — B.  a7ithracis 
and  B.  subtilis, — and  this  constitutes  the  most  difficult  biological  test 
known.  Micrococci  and  bacilli  in  active  growth,  without  spores,  are 
killed  by  much  weaker  solutions  (1  :  20,000  to  1  :  40,000). 

Klein,  of  London,  is,  so  far  as  I  know,  the  only  author  who  has  re- 
ported results  in  conflict  with  these.  In  his  recent  work  on  Micro- 
organisms and  Disease?  he  says, — 

By  sowing  any  micro-organism  in  a  nourishing  medium,  to  which  has  been  added  a  cer- 
tain substance  (e.  £-.,  carbolic  acid  to  the  amount  of  one  per  cent.),  and  exposing  this  me- 
dium to  the  conditions  of  temperature,  moisture,  etc..  otherwise  favorable  to  the  growth 
of  the  organism,  if  we  find  after  the  lapse  of  a  due  period  the  growth  is  retarded  or  alto- 
gether inhibited,  the  conclusion  is  drawn  that  this  substance  (viz.,  the  carbolic  acid  of  1 
per  cent.)  is  an  antiseptic.  There  is  nothing  more  fallacious  than  this  mode  of  reason- 
ing. A  great  many  micro-organisms  can  be  exposed  to  a  1  per  cent,  solution  of  carbolic 
acid  for  hours  without  in  the  least  being  affected,  for  on  being  transferred  to  a  suitable 
nourishing  medium  they  grow  and  thrive  well.  Similarly,  by  placing  the  spores  of  B. 
anthracis  in  a  proteid  medium  containing  perchloride  of  mercury  of  the  strength  of  1  in 
300,000,  it  is  found  (as  Koch  has  shown)  that  the  spores  are  absolutely  incapable  of  ger- 
minating. But  if  from  this  the  Conclusion  is  drawn  that  perchloride  of  mercury  of  the 
strength  of  1  in  300,000  is  a  germicide,  I  should  most  strongly  dissent, — for  perchloride  of 
rnercurv,  even  of  the  strength  of  1  per  cent.,  is  not  a  germicide  any  more  than  vinegar; 
for  on  placing  the  spores  of  B.  anthracis  in  a  proteid  medium,  to  which  so  much  vinegar 
or  any  other  acid  has  been  added  as  makes  it  decidedly  acid,  it  will  be  found  that  the 
spores  do  not  germinate. 

1  The  Practitioner,  Lond.,  Oct.,  18S4,  p.  251. 


42  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   OA    DISINFECTANTS. 

I  have  recently  had  occasion  to  object  to  the  use  of  the  terms  antisep- 
tic and  germicide  as  synonymous,  and  the  confusion  resulting  from  such 
a  misuse  of  the  term  antiseptic  is  exemplified  in  the  above  quotation. 
No  one  familiar  with  the  present  state  of  knowledge  upon  the  subject 
would  think  of  inferring  that  mercuric  chloride  is  a  germicide  in  the  pro- 
portion of  i  :  300,000,  because  anthrax  spores  do  not  germinate  in  cul- 
ture-fluids containing  this  amount.  But  an  agent  which  prevents  the 
development  of  putrefactive  bacilli  is  an  antiseptic,  for  putrefactive  de- 
composition is  prevented  by  sQch  an  agent  as  well  as  by  one  which  kills 
germs.  A  germicide  is  necessarily  an  antiseptic,  but  an  antiseptic  is  not 
necessarily  a  germicide.  Thus  alcohol,  chloride  of  sodium,  borax,  sul- 
phate of  iron,  and  many  other  agents  constantly  used  as  antiseptics,  do 
not  in  the  most  concentrated  solutions  destroy  the  vitality  of  the  spores 
of  bacilli,  and  consequently  are  not  germicides. 

The  statement  made  by  Klein,  that  "  perchloride  of  mercury  even  of 
the  strength  of  1  per  cent,  is  not  a  germicide  any  more  than  vinegar,"  is 
opposed  by  the  experimental  evidence  reported  in  detailhy  Koch,  and 
by  my  own  extended  experiments  with  this  agent.  I  am  convinced  that 
there  must  have  been  some  defect  in  Klein's  method  of  working,  and 
that  the  spores  which  killed  his  guinea-pigs  had  not  been  fairly  exposed 
to  the  action  of  the  disinfecting  agent.     He  says, — 

I  have  tried  the  action  of  a  number  of  substances  in  common  use  as  antiseptics  {e.  £-., 
Calvert's  fluid,  pure  terebene,  phenol  10  per  cent.,  perchloride  of  mercury  1  per  cent.),  on 
the  spores  of  B.  authracis,  exposing  these  in  comparatively  large  quantities  to  the  above 
fluids  (the  two  being  well  mixed)  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  then  inoculating  guinea-pigs 
with  them  (spores  and  antiseptic).  The  animal  died  with  symptoms  of  typical  anthrax, 
the  blood  teeming  with  the  B.  authracis} 

The  very  definite  evidence  from  various  sources,  a  portion  of  which 
will  be  given  below,  as  to  the  power  of  mercuric  chloride  to  destroy  the 
spores  of  anthrax  in  much  weaker  solutions  than  that  used  by  Klein,  and 
in  a  much  shorter  time,  justifies  the  suspicion  that  these  guinea-pigs  died 
from  accidental  inoculation  with  spores  not  subjected  to  the  action  of  the 
disinfectant.  This  suspicion  is  further  justified  by  Klein's  account  of  the 
frequent  accidents  of  this  kind  which  have  occurred  in  his  laboratory. 
Among  other  examples  of  this,  given  in  the  work  already  referred  to,  is 
the  following : 

Another  gentleman  working  in  the  laboratory  of  the  Brown  Institution  intended  to  in- 
oculate several  guinea-pigs  with  human  tubercles.  For  this  end  he  mashed  up  in  a  saline 
solution,  in  a  clean  mortar,  a  bit  of  human  lung  studded  with  tubercles.  He  did  this  in 
my  room  on  the  same  table  on  which  I  was  working  with  anthrax.  One  of  these  guinea- 
pigs,  inoculated  with  human  tubercle,  died  before  the  second  day  was  over  of  typical 
anthrax.  Its  blood  was  teeming  with  the  B.  authracis.  Such  an  accidental  anthrax  in 
guinea-pigs  inoculated  with  tubercle  occurred  several  times.  *  *  *  I  myself  had  the 
following  accidental  contaminations  :     *     *     *2 

1Op.  cit.,  p.  253. 

2  Micro-organisms  and  Disease.      The  Practitioner,  London,  Aug.,  1884,  p.  no. 


h'EPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  43 

We  are  not  here  directly  concerned  with  the  restraining  influence  of 
mercuric  chloride  upon  the  development  of  anthrax  spores,  but  having- 
made  some  recent  experiments  in  this  direction  which  fully  confirm  the 
results  previously  reported  by  Koch,  I  may  be  excused  for  referring  to 
the  matter,  especially  in  view  of  the  therapeutic  and  sanitary  possibilities 
which  suggest  themselves  in  connection  with  this  inhibiting  action  of 
corrosive  sublimate  in  very  dilute  solutions.  From  a  sanitary  point  of 
view,  it  is  evident  that  an  agent  which  is  capable  of  preventing  the  devel- 
opment of  disease  germs  in  cesspools  and  privy-vaults  in  the  proportion 
of  1  :  300,000  (/'.  e.,  one  pound  costing  fifty  cents  would  inhibit  the  devel- 
opment of  anthrax  spores  in  300,000  pounds  of  a  suitable  culture-fluid) 
has  an  interest  for  health  officers  quite  independent  of  the  interest  which 
attaches  to  it  as  a  potent  gemicide  in  stronger  solutions. 

Experiment,  Dccefnber  22,  1884.  Mercuric  chloride  was  added  to  a 
sterilized  culture-fluid  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  100,000,  1  :  200,000,  and 
1  :  400,000,  and  two  culture-flasks  were  filled  from  each  solution.  These 
flasks  were  then  inoculated  with  anthrax  spores  from  a  pure  culture,  and 
another  flask,  not  containing  the  mercuric  chloride,  was  inoculated  to 
test  the  stock.  At  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours  the  last  mentioned  flask 
contained  an  abundance  of  anthrax  filaments  :  the  others  remained  clear. 
At  the  end  of  fortv-eight  hours  the  two  flasks  containing  the  bichloride 
in  the  proportion  of  1  :  400,000  contained  flocculi  of  anthrax  filaments, 
and  the  others  remained  clear. 

Davaine  found  that  the  virulence  of  serum  containing  anthrax  bacilli, 
obtained  from  the  subcutaneous  cellular  tissue  of  an  animal  recently  dead, 
is  destroyed  by  adding  to  it  corrosive  sublimate  in  the  proportion  of 
1  :  1 50, 000. x     In  this  case  no  spores  are  present  in  the  material. 

The  restraining  power  of  this  agent  is  not  so  great  for  the  spores  of  £. 
subtilis  as  for  those  of  anthrax.  This  was  shown  by  an  experiment  made 
upon  the  same  date  as  that  above  reported.  At  the  end  of  twenty-four 
hours  after  inoculation  with  spores,  a  mycoderma  of  B.  subtilis  had 
formed  in  solutions  containing  1  :  100,000  ;  and  in  forty-eight  hours  the 
same  results  had  occurred  in  two  flasks  containing  1  :  50,000. 

The  inhibiting  power  of  this  agent  is  still  less  for  micro-organisms  in 
active  multiplication.  Thus,  in  my  experiments  reported  in  the  A?n. 
Journal  of  the  Med.  Sciences,  April,  1883,  the  development  of  micro- 
cocci was  prevented  by  1  :  30,000  to  1  :  40,000.  I  have  recently  repeated 
these  experiments  with  a  similar  result.  To  destroy  the  vitality  of  the 
same  micrococci,  as  proved  by  their  failure  to  grow  in  culture-fluids,  re- 
quired 1  :  20,000,  while  the  bacteria  in  broken-down  beef  tea  containing 
spores  were  destroyed  by  1  :  10,000.  According  to  Koch,  mercuric  chlo- 
ride, in  the  proportion  of  1  :  1,000,  destroys  all  spores  in  a  few  minutes  ; 
and  in  weaker  solutions,  up  to  1  :  10,000,  he  has  shown  by  culture  and 
inoculation  experiments  that  this  agent  destroys  the  vitality  of  anthrax 
spores. 

■  "Recherches  sur  le  traitemcnt  des  maladies  charbonneuses  chez  l'homme."  Bulletin  de  PAcad. 
de  Med.,  17  Juillet,  1SS0,  p.  557. 


44  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

The  results  of  his  culture  and  inoculation  experiments  are  not,  how- 
ever, entirely  in  accord  ;  and  it  seems  probable  that  failure  to  develop 
upon  the  surface  of  a  solid  culture-medium,  after  ten  minutes'  exposure 
to  i  :  20,000,  may  have  been  due  to  the  restraining  influence  of  a  small 
amount  of  bichloride  not  removed  by  the  washing  in  alcohol,  which  was 
resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  getting  rid  of  this  complication.  Fluid- 
cultures  possess  an  evident  superiority  for  such  experiments  as  this  ;  for 
when  a  very  small  quantity  of  spore-containing  material  is  introduced 
into  flasks  containing  a  large 'quantity  of  culture-fluid,  the  disinfecting 
agent  is  diluted  beyond  any  possibility  of  interfering  with  the  success  of 
the  experiment.  Moreover,  when  spores  fail  to  develop  in  such  fluid- 
cultures  it  is  easy  to  prove  that  the  failure  relates  to  loss  of  vitality  on  the 
part  of  the  spores,  and  not  to  the  presence  of  an  inhibiting  agent.  This 
I  am  in  the  habit  of  doing  by  inoculating  the  same  culture-fluid  with 
other  spores  not  disinfected  ;  and  the  rapid  development  of  these  is  satis- 
factory evidence  that  in  the  first  experiment  failure  to  develop  was  not 
due  to  the  small  amount  of  mercuric  chloride  introduced  in  the  inocula- 
tion with  disinfected  spores. 

The  view,  that  in  Koch's  surface-cultures  the  inhibiting  influence  of  the 
bichloride  came  into  play,  is  sustained  by  his  own  inoculation  experi- 
ments, and  by  my  culture  experiments  reported  below.  Thus  we  are 
informed1  that  three  mice  were  inoculated  with  anthrax  spores,  attached 
to  strands  of  silk  thread  which  had  been  exposed  for  ten  minutes  to  solu- 
tions of  the  strength  of  1  :  10,000,  1  :  20,000,  and  1  :  50,000.  All  of  the 
mice  died  of  anthrax  ;  but  while  the  one  inoculated  with  the  strand  ex- 
posed to  1  :  50,000  died  in  the  usual  time, — on  the  second  day, — the  one 
inoculated  with  1  :  20,000  did  not  die  until  the  fourth  day,  and  the  one 
with  1  :  10,000  not  until  the  fifth  day. 

That  anthrax  spores  may  survive  exposure  to  a  solution  of  1  :  10,000 
for  a  longer  period  than  ten  minutes  is  also  shown  by  the  following  exper- 
iments. 

December  18,  1884.  A  small  quantity  of  a  culture-fluid  containing 
anthrax  spores  was  exposed  for  one  kou?'  to  mercuric  chloride  in  the  pro- 
portion of  1  :  10,000.  No  development  of  anthrax  bacilli  occurred  in  a 
culture-flask  inoculated  with  these  spores  ;  but  in  another  experiment, 
made  at  the  same  time,  in  which  the  proportion  of  the  disinfectant  and 
the  time  of  exposure  remained  the  same,  and  in  which  a  much  lai-gei' 
quantity  of  the  spore-containing  culture-fluid  was  used,  there  was  an 
abundant  development  of  anthrax  bacilli  in  the  inoculated  culture-flask. 

It  is  evident  that  in  this  experiment  a  material  change  in  the  conditions 
was  made,  although  the  time  of  exposure  and  the  amount  of  the  disinfect- 
ing agent  present  were  the  same  in  both  cases,  and  that  in  experiments 
of  this  kind  the  amount  of  material  to  be  disinfected  must  also  be  taken 
into  consideration.  In  other  words,  a  few  germs  may  be  destroyed  by  a 
comparatively  dilute  solution  of  the  disinfecting  agent,  while  stronger 
solutions  will  be  required  for  the  destruction  of  a  large  number  of  germs 

1Mitth.  a.  d.  k.  Gesundheitsamte,  I,  p.  277. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  4$ 

contained  in  the  same  amount  of  material.  Again  :  It  is  true  of  mercu- 
ric chloride  as  well  as  of  oxidizing  disinfectants,  such  as  potassium  per- 
manganate and  the  hypo-chlorites,  that  the  quantity  of  non-living  organic 
material  present  will  also  materially  influence  the  result.  This  is  illus- 
trated by  my  experiments  reported  below,  in  which  semi-solid  feces  was 
the  material  subjected  to  the  action  of  the  disinfectant. 

The  spores  of  B.  subtilis  are  destroyed  by  about  the  same  proportion 
of  mercuric  chloride  as  is  required  to  kill  anthrax  spores.    . 

Experiment,  December  22,  1884.  A  small  amount  of  a  culture-fluid 
containing  the  spores  of  B.  subtilis  was  exposed  to  the  action  of  a  solu- 
tion of  corrosive  sublimate  of  the  strength  of  1  :  10,000  for  thirty  minutes. 
A  like  amount  was  exposed  for  one  hour,  and  a  third  portion  for  two 
hours.  Two  culture-flasks  were  inoculated  with  spores  from  each.  At 
the  end  of  twenty-four  hours  those  inoculated  with  the  material  exposed 
for  thirty  minutes  showed  an  abundant  development  of  B.  subtilis,  and 
the  others  remained  clear. 

The  importance  of  the  time  of  exposure  to  the  action  of  the  disinfect- 
ing agent,  which  is  clearly  brought  out  in  the  above  experiment,  is  very- 
well  illustrated  by  the  experiments  on  vaccine  virus  reported  by  Dr.  W. 
J.  Miller,  of  Dundee: 

I  have  made  fourteen  observations  with  this  agent  on  vaccine.  In  one  of  these  it  was 
tested  in  the  following  manner :  I  placed  half  the  contents  of  a  well  filled  tube  on  a  glass 
slide,  and  after  it  dried  covered  it  with  some  perchloride  solution  (1  in  1,000),  and  after 
allowing  it  to  lie  for  ten  minutes  washed  off  the  perchloride  gently  with  water,  so  that  the 
film  of  vaccine  remained.  This  was  then  rubbed  up  with  water,  and  put  in  a  tube  for  use. 
The  product  entirely  failed  to  take,  while  the  other  half  of  the  same  specimen  of  lymph 
produced  a  good  result.  Another  specimen  was  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  the 
same  solution  (1  in  1,000),  and  was  used  an  hour  thereafter,  disinfection  being  complete. 
Two  trials  were  made  with  the  same  mixture  prepared  immediately  before  use,  two  after 
an  interval  of  three  minutes,  and  one  after  fifteen  minutes,  and  in  all  five  the  lymph  was 
uninjured.  Five  experiments  were  made  with  a  solution  of  1  in  500  and  vaccine  in  equal 
proportions  (=1  : 1,000. — G.M.S.),  mixed  respectively,  immediately  before  use,  a  few  min- 
utes, three  minutes,  three  minutes,  and  five  minutes,  and  in  all  the  lymph  was  in  no  way 
affected.  Two  observations  with  lymph  and  a  still  stronger  solution  (1  in  250),  in  equal 
proportions,  mixed  immediately  before  use,  gave  the  same  negative  result. 1 

According  to  Arloing,  Cornevin,  and  Thomas,  the  activity  of  dried 
virus  of  symptomatic  anthrax  is  destroyed  by  mercuric  chloride  in  the 
proportion  of  1  :  5,000. 

Jalan  de  la  Croix  found  that  the.bacteria  in  beef  bouillon  were  destroy- 
ed by  1  :  6,500,  but  that  the  proportion  required  to  destroy  bacteria  in  a 
beef  infusion  made  without  heat  was  1  :  2,525. 

It  is  evident,  that  in  the  absence  of  precise  information  as  to  the  time 
of  exposure  and  other  essential  conditions,  these  results  cannot  be  com- 
pared directly  with  those  reported  by  other  observers,  in  which  the  mate- 
rial tested  or  the  conditions  of  the  experiment  were  different. 

In  the  writer's  experiments,  reported  in  the  American  yournal  of  the 
Medical  Sciences  for  April,  18S3,  the  bacteria  in  broken-down  beef  tea 

1  The  Practitioner,  London,  October,  1884,  p.  265. 


46  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

(old  stock  exposed  in  the  laboratory  for  a  long  time)  were  destroyed  by 
two  hours'  exposure  to  mercuric  chloride  in  the  proportion  of  i  :  10,000, 
the  amount  of  material  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  disinfecting  agent 
being  comparatively  small. 

Extended  experiments  upon  the  disinfection  of  tuberculous  sputum 
have  been  made  by  Schill  and  Fischer,  and  are  reported  in  their  paper 
published  in  the  second  volume  of  the  Mittheilungen  aus.de?n  Kaiser- 
lichen  Gesundheitsamtc.  In  these  experiments  the  test  of  disinfection 
was  failure  of  the  material  to  produce  tuberculosis  when  inoculated  into 
susceptible  animals. 

In  a  first  series  of  experiments  with  dried  sputem,  which  had  been 
kept  for  several  months,  a  negative  result  was  obtained  in  every  case 
from  the  following  inoculations  :  Two  guinea-pigs  inoculated  with  mate- 
rial exposed  for  twenty-four  hours  to  1  :  1,000;  three  with  material  ex- 
posed for  twenty  hours  to  1  :  2,500  ;  and  three  with  material  exposed  for 
twenty  hours  to  1  :  5,000.  , 

In  another  series  of  experiments  with  fresh  sputum,  in  which  the  sub- 
limate solution  and  the  material  to  be  disinfected  were  used  in  equal 
a77iounts,  tuberculosis  resulted  in  all  of  the  test  animals.  Three  of  these 
were  inoculated  with  material  exposed  for  twenty-four  hours  to  1  :  2.000 
(i.  e.,  equal  parts  of  sputum  and  of  a  1  :  1,000  solution),  and  three  to 
material  exposed  for  twenty-four  hours  to  1  :  1,000. 

The  failure  to  disinfect  in  these  experiments  was  probably  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  viscid  mass  of  sputum  was  not  penetrated  throughout  by 
the  disinfecting  agent.  In  the  successful  experiment  with  dried  sputum, 
the  amount  of  material  used  was  no  doubt  much  smaller,  and  its  physi- 
cal condition  (pulverized?)  such  as  to  insure  the  action  of  the  disinfect- 
ant upon  every  portion  of  it. 

In  a  previous  paper1  the  writer  has  recommended  the  use  of  a  solution 
containing  1  :  500  of  mercuric  chloride  and  1  :  500  of  potassium  perman- 
ganate as  an  efficient  disinfectant  for  sputum,  and  for  the  discharges  of 
patients  with  typhoid  fever  and  cholera.  The  experiments  of  Schill  and 
Fischer,  which  I  had  not  read  when  this  recommendation  was  made, 
indicate  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  use  some  other  agent  when  the  object 
in  view  is  to  destroy  the  infective  virulence  of  tuberculous  sputum  ;  and 
in  general  it  will  no  doubt  be  better  to  use  an  oxidizing  disinfectant,  such 
as  the  hypochlorite  of  soda,  when  the  germs  to  be  destroyed  are  imbed- 
ded in  masses  of  albuminous  material,  for  such  masses  are  disintegrated 
and  destroyed  by  oxidizing  agents,  whereas  corrosive  sublimate  has  the 
opposite  effect,  in  consequence  of  its  power  of  combining  with  and  coag- 
ulating albuminous  material.  For  liquid  fecal  discharges,  however,  our 
recommendation  is  sustained  by  the  experimental  evidence. 

The  following  experiments  have  been  recently  made.  The  standard 
solution  above  referred  to — mercuric  chloride  and  potassium  permanga- 
nate, of  each  1  :  500 — was  diluted  one  half,  and  mixed  with  an  equal  quan- 
tity of  broken-down  beef  tea  (=1  :  2,000) .     After  exposure  for  two  hours, 

1  The  Medical  News,  January  10,  1SS5,  p.  34. 


REPORT  CF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  47 

the  contained  germs  had  lost  their  vitality,  as  proved  by  culture  exper- 
iments. 

A  more  difficult  test  was  the  following :  The  standard  solution  was 
diluted  one  half,  and  mixed  with  semi-solid  feces  in  equal  quantity,  well 
mixed  by  stirring.  Two  culture-flasks  were  inoculated  from  this  at  the 
end  of  thirty  minutes,  two  more  at  the  end  of  one  hour,  and  two  more  at 
the  expiration  of  two  hours.  One  of  the  flasks,  inoculated  at  the  end  of 
an  hour,  broke  down  ;  the  others  remained  clear.  In  the  case  of  the 
flask  which  broke  down,  it  is  probable  that  some  little  mass  of  material 
was  introduced,  which  had  not  been  thoroughly  penetrated  by  the  disin- 
fecting agent.  When  the  standard  solution  was  diluted  with  three  parts 
of  water,  and  added  to  an  equal  amount  of  broken-down  beef  stock 
(z=i  :  4,000),  two  hours'  exposure  failed  to  prevent  the  subsequent  de- 
velopment of  the  contained  spores  in  a  sterilized  culture-fluid. 

The  experimental  data  herein  recorded  seem  to  justify  the  following 
conclusions : 

Mercuric  chloride,  in  aqueous  solution,  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  10,000, 
is  a  reliable  agent  for  the  destruction  of  micrococci  and  bacilli  in  active 
growth  not  containing  spores;  and  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  1,000  it  de- 
stroys the  spores  of  bacilli,  provided  that  the  micro-organisms  to  be  de- 
stroyed are  fairly  exposed  to  its  action  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time. 

A  standard  solution  of  1  :  1,000  may  be  safely  recommended  for  the 
disinfection  of  bedding  and  clothing  which  can  be  washed  ;  for  washing 
the  floors  and  walls  of  infected  apartments  ;  for  disinfecting  the  hands 
and  instruments  of  surgeons  and  gynecologists  ;  and  as  a  disinfecting 
wash  for  superficial  wounds  or  mucous  surfaces.  For  continuous  appli- 
cation to  wounds,  etc..  a  solution  of  1  :  10,000,  or  less,  should  be  effective. 

A  standard  solution  of  1  :  500,  with  the  same  quantity  of  potassium 
permanganate,  may  be  safely  recommended  for  the  disinfection  of  liquid 
fecal  discharges,  and  other  fluid  material  supposed  to  contain  "disease 
germs,"  provided  the  time  of  exposure  is  not  less  than  two  hours,  and 
the  quantity  of  material  to  be  disinfected  is  not  in  excess  of  that  of  the 
standard  solution  used. 


CONSIDERATIONS  CONCERNING  TtfE  PRACTICAL  USE  OF  MERCURIC 
CHLORIDE  AS  A  DISINFECTANT. 


BY   VICTOR   C    VAUGHAN. 


Since  mercuric  chloride  has  been  put  forward  as  one  of  the  most  relia- 
ble disinfectants,  its  practical  use  has  been  largely  discussed,  and  some 
supposed  dangers  in  its  general  employment  have  been  brought  forward. 
It  was  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  how  much  truth  there  may  be  in 
these  statements  that  the  following  experiments  were  undertaken. 

Is  there  danger  of  the  passage  of  this  highly  poisonous  salt,  from  cess- 
pools and  privy  vaults  in  which  its  use  has  been  recommended,  through 


48  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

the  soil  into  wells?  Sanitarians  have  had  so  much  to  say  about  well- 
water  being  poisoned  by  the  filtration  of  organic  matter  through  the  soil 
from  privy  vaults  and  cesspools,  that  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  above 
question  should  be  asked.  In  order  to  answer  it,  the  following  experi- 
ments wrere  made  : 

Experiment  i.  A  large  glass  funnel,  carrying  a  filter-paper,  was 
filled  with  gravel  taken  from  a  distance  of  about  four  feet  beneath  the 
surface.  The  weight  of  the  gravel  wras  eleven  and  three  fourths  pounds, 
and,  when  placed  in  the  funnel,  it  formed  an  inverted  cone,  with  a  base 
of  ten  inches  diameter  and  an  altitude  of  eight  inches.  On  this  was 
poured  one  pint  of  standard  solution  No.  2  (corrosive  sublimate  and  per- 
manganate of  potash,  two  drachms  of  each  to  the  gallon  of  water),  rec- 
ommended for  the  disinfection  of  excreta.  After  a  few  minutes  a  pint  of 
distilled  water  was  also  filtered  through  the  soil.  This  was  done  in 
order  to  wash  through  any  mercury  that  might  be  held  mechanically  in 
the  gravel.  The  filtrate  was  collected,  concentrated  to  one  fluid  ounce, 
and  tested  for  mercury.  The  result  was  negative.  The  soil  retained  all 
of  the  poison. 

Experime?it  2.  This  was  similar  to  the  above,  but  black  loam  was 
used  instead  of  the  gravel.  The  weight  of  the  soil  used  was  seven  pounds. 
The  result  was  the  same  as  with  the  gravel. 

Experiment  J.  In  this  instance  clay  was  used.  The  weight  of  the 
clay  was  nine  and  one  fourth  pounds.  As  the  soil  in  this  case  was  very 
dry,  it  was  thoroughly  moistened  with  water  before  the  solution  of  mer- 
curic chloride  was  poured  on. 

These  experiments  show  that  the  quantities  of  the  different  soils,  as 
given  above,  will  remove  from  solution  and  retain  all  the  mercury  con- 
tained in  one  pint  of  standard  solution  No.  2,  fifteen  grains  of  mercuric 
chloride.  That  a  much  smaller  amount  of  soil  would  accomplish  the 
same  result  was  shown  by  the  following : 

Experime?it  4.  One  and  one  half  pounds  of  gravel  were  placed  on 
the  filter,  and  one  pint  of  standard  solution  No.  2,  one  ounce  at  a  time, 
was  filtered  through  the  gravel.  The  filtrate  contained  no  mercury. 
From  these  experiments  it  will  be  seen  that  the  fear  that  mercuric  chlo- 
ride may  filter  through  the  soil,  when  used  as  a  disinfectant  in  privy 
vaults  and  cesspools,  into  wells,  and  thus  poison  the  water,  is  ground- 
less. Of  course,  where  there  is  open  connection  between  the  cesspool 
and  wells  by  the  formation  of  small  subterranean  rivulets,  there  would 
be  danger.  The  fixation  of  mercury  in  the  soil  is  doubtless  largely,  if  not 
wholly,  due  to  the  presence  of  certain  inorganic  salts,  such  as  carbonates 
and  phosphates,  which  form  insoluble  compounds  of  mercury. 

At  the  recent  cholera  conference  at  Rome,  Dr.  Koch  gave,  as  one  of 
his  reasons  for  not  recommending  mercuric  chloride  as  a  disinfectant, 
the  belief  that  its  disinfecting  action  was  interfered  with  by  the  fact  that 
it  entered  into  combination  with  albuminous  material,  and  thus  failed  to 
come  in  contact  with  germs  enclosed  in  albuminous  masses.1     That  a 

1  The  Medical  News,  June  20,  1885,  p.  707. 


'•"'IPOJWrA 
«O^OtBSaSV°MlCS 

REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS.  ^  49 

combination  between  the  mercury  and  albumen  does  occur  may  be 
shown  by  the  following-  very  simple  test : 

Experiment  5.  Suspend  some  recently  precipitated  mercuric  oxide  in 
distilled  water,  add  some  egg-albumen,  agitate  thoroughly,  and  filter. 
The  filtrate  is  clear  and  colorless.  Boil  this  filtrate  with  potassium 
chlorate  and  hydrochloric  acid  until  all  the  organic  matter  is  destroyed. 
Then  test  for  mercury  with  hydrogen  sulphide  or  stannous  chloride.  The 
mercury  will  be  found  to  be  present,  and  all  that  which  was  used  as  mer- 
curic oxide  can  be  recovered. 

Albumen  dissolves  the  oxide,  forming,  probably,  mercuric  albuminate  ; 
but  there  is  no  reason  for  believing  that  the  mercuric  albuminate  does  not 
diffuse  through  organic  matter.  As  shown  in  the  experiments,  it  is  freely 
soluble,  and  readily  passes  through  the  filter-paper.  It  is  altogether 
probable  that  it  is  this  mercuric  albuminate  which  forms  such  a  powerful 
germicide.  In  this  compound  we  have  the  mercury  in  the  shape  in 
which  it  would  most  likely  be  taken  up  by  those  lower  forms  of  life 
which  feed  upon  albuminous  material. 

Medical  men  have  for  a  long  time  regarded  "yellow  wash"  as  the 
most  successful  application  that  could  be  made  to  syphilitic  sores.  Is  it 
not  likely  that  its  great  value  is  due  to  the  formation  of  mercuric  albumi- 
nate, which  has  a  local  action  on  the  virus,  and  penetrates  the  tissue  as 
well  ?  A  substance  which  is  not  absorbed  by  living  organisms  is  not 
poisonous  to  them,  and  if  by  the  formation  of  this  mercuric  albuminate 
the  most  readily  absorbable  form  of  mercury  is  secured,  its  poisonous 
properties  are  intensified. 

Further  considerations  concerning  the  use  of  mercuric  chloride  will  be 
presented  as  soon  as  some  additional  experiments  are  made.  The  writer 
is  indebted  to  two  of  his  students,  Messrs.  Wagner  and  Bobb,  for  aid  in 
the  experimental  work. 

ACTION    OF    MERCURIC    CHLORIDE    ON    LEAD    PIPES. 

When  a  solution  of  mercuric  chloride  comes  in  contact  with  lead,  there 
is  an  immediate  deposit  of  mercury  with  the  formation  of  lead  chloride. 
That  this  action  rapidly  destroys  lead  pipe  is  shown  by  the  following : 

Experiment.  One  foot  of  one  half  inch  lead  pipe  was  placed  in  a  tall  beaker,  and  1,000 
c.  c.  of  a  two  per  cent,  solution  of  mercuric  chloride  poured  into  the  beaker.  Instantane- 
ously a  white  cloud  of  lead  chloride  formed  around  the  pipe,  and  gradually  subsided  to 
the  bottom.  Each  day  the  solution  of  mercuric  chloride  was  changed,  and  the  pipe 
washed  with  water.  After  4,000  c.  c.  of  the  mercuric  chloride  solution  had  been  used, 
the  pipe  had  worn  away  to  such  an  extent  that  on  bending  it  the  pipe  would  break. 

Since  the  reaction  is  instantaneous,  the  result  would  practically  be  the 
same,  though  a  little  slower,  with  the  solution  of  mercuric  chloride  flow- 
ing through  the  pipe. 

Notes  by  Dr.  G.  M.  Sternberg,  chairman  of  committee : 

I  have  recently  made  some  experiments  to  determine  the  antiseptic  power  of  mercuric 
oxide.  In  the  proportion  of  1  : 1,000  it  has  prevented  any  development  of  micro-organ- 
isms in  veal  broth,  inoculated  with  two  or  three  drops  of  broken-down  beef  tea.     In 


50  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

the  proportion  of  i  :  2,000  and  1  : 4,000,  it  restrained  development  for  a  time,  but  at  the 
end  of  forty-eight  hours  the  broth  became  clouded  near  the  surface,  and  at  the  end  of 
seventy-two  hours  had  broken  down  completely.  (The  same  culture-fluid  broke  down  in 
twenty-four  hours  when  not  treated  with  an  antiseptic.)  This  very  decided  antiseptic 
power  shows  that  mercuric  oxide  is  far  from  being  "  inert  "  from  a  biological  point  of 
view. 

Disinfecting  and  Antiseptic  Powder.  The  powder  under  this  name,  for  which  a  formula 
was  given  in  the  Preliminary  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants,  was  withdrawn 
in  a  letter  published  in  the  Medical  News  of  May  2d. 

The  writer  was  responsible  for  this  powder,  and  withdrew  it  because  of  the  fact  that 
mercuric  chloride  is  decomposed  by  the  hypochlorites  in  the  presence  of  moisture.  In  the 
powder,  made  as  directed,  this  reaction  does  not  occur,  and  the  keeping  properties  of  the 
powder  are  all  that  could  be  desired.  But  when  water  is  added  to  it  the  reaction  occurs, 
and  the  yellow  oxide  of  mercury  is  precipitated.  This  fact  having  been  brought  to  my 
attention,  I  hastened  to  withdraw  my  recommendation  of  the  powder,  although  I  had  been 
much  pleased  with  it  in  practical  tests  upon  feces.  Since  my  return  from  Europe  I  have 
made  some  additional  experiments,  which  show  that,  notwithstanding  the  destruction  of 
the  bichloride,  the  powder  is  an  excellent  disinfectant  and  antiseptic.  A  sample  which  I 
have  recently  examined  contained  2.6  per  cent,  of  available  chlorine  after  the  precipita- 
tion of  the  yellow  oxide  by  the  addition  of  water.  This  same  sample,  after  standing  in 
an  open  box  in  the  laboratory  for  about  three  weeks,  still  contained  1.5  per  cent,  of  avail- 
able chlorine  at  the  bottom  of  the  box,  and  1  per  cent,  at  the  surface  of  the  powder,  which 
had  been  exposed  to  the  air  during  this  time.  I  have  demonstrated,  by  recent  experi- 
ments, that  mercuric  oxide  is  a  valuable  antiseptic.  In  the  proportion  of  1  : 2,000  it  re- 
tards the  development  of  micro-organisms  in  beef  tea  inoculated  with  two  or  three  drops 
of  broken-down  stock;  and  in  the  proportion  of  1:1,000  it  entirely  prevented  develop- 
ment for  a  week,  the  duration  of  the  experiment,  while  in  the  comparative  test  the  beef 
tea  broke  down  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours.  Nevertheless,  I  do  not  endorse  the  for- 
mula which  I  first  recommended,  for  the  reason  that  mercuric  oxide  has  an  antiseptic 
power  inferior  to  that  of  the  bichloride,  and  it  is  a  waste  of  material  to  use  the  bichloride 
of  mercury  in  the  same  formula  with  the  hypochlorites.  I  would  therefore  recommend 
that  the  powder  be  made  without  the  addition  of  mercuric  chloride.  • 

My  object  is  to  dilute  the  chloride  of  lime  so  that  it  may  be  used  more  economically, 
especially  upon  the  surface  of  fecal  matter  hi  privy-vaults.  Such  a  powder  is  especially  need- 
ed in  country  places,  where  the  old-fashioned  open  privy-vaults  are  in  use,  and  in  garri- 
sons and  military  encampments. 

Chloride  of  lime,  as  received  from  the  manufacturers,  is  more  or  less  lumpy,  and  can- 
not be  readily  scattered  about  in  a  uniform  manner.  It  is  also  much  stronger  in  chlorine 
than  is  necessary.  I  have  therefore  endeavored  to  find  an  inert  substance  suitable  for 
diluting  it. 

Plaster  of  Paris  has  the  advantage  of  retaining  the  chlorine  better  than  anything  else  I 
have  tried,  and  makes  a  powder  which  can  be  readily  scattered  about  in  a  thin  layer.  Its 
property  of  setting  with  water  is  no  objection  to  its  use  in  privy  vaults,  cess-pools,  etc., 
but  would  be  an  objection  to  its  use  in  chamber  vessels,  the  contents  of  which  were  to  be 
thrown  into  water-closets. 

To  test  the  keeping  properties  of  a  mixture  of  chloride  of  lime  and  sulphate  of  lime, 
mixed  together  in  equal  quantities,  by  weight,  I  exposed  a  layer  having  a  thickness  of 
about  one  and  a  half  inch  in  a  shallow  vessel,  and  for  comparison,  a  mixture  of  equal 
parts  of  chloride  of  lime  and  sand  in  a  similar  vessel.  At  the  outset  of  the  experiment 
the  available  chlorine  in  each  specimen  was  found  by  Dr.  Abbott  to  be  15  per  cent.  At 
the  end  of  a  week  the  mixture  with  plaster  contained  12.9  per  cent,  of  available  chlorine, 
and  the  mixture  with  sand  6.8  per  cent.  At  the  same  time  two  fruit  jars  were  filled  about 
one  third  full  with  the  two  mixtures,  and  the  metal  covers  were  screwed  on.  In  these 
closed  jars  the  mixture  with  sulphate  of  lime  contained  13.5  per  cent,  of  available  chlo- 
rine at  the  end  of  two  weeks,  and  the  mixture  with  sand  11.8  per  cent. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  5 1 

THE  COMPARATIVE  ANTISEPTIC  VALUE  OF  THE  SALTS  AND  OXIDES 

OF  MERCURY. 

BY   GEORGE    M.    STERNBERG. 

In  the  introduction  of  this  report  the  statement  is  made  that  "  a  com- 
plete investigation  of  both  disinfectants  and  antiseptics  being  impracti- 
cable in  the  time  and  with  the  resources  at  command,  the  committee 
decided  upon  so  far  departing  from  the  letter  of  the  resolutions  of  Dr. 
Hibberd  as  to  limit  its  inquiry  altogether  to  disinfectants,  and  to  omit  all 
investigations  into  the  action  of  antiseptics." 

The  present  article  is  the  result  of  a  departure  from  this  rule  which 
the  writer  has  made  with  reference  to  the  salts  and  oxides  of  mercury, 
because  of  the  special  interest  which  they  have  from  a  therapeutical 
point  of  view,  and  because  of  the  important  indications  which  seem  to 
be  furnished  by  their  antiseptic  power  for  restricting  the  development  of 
pathogenic  organisms  in  the  alimentary  canal,  as  well  as  in  masses  of 
decomposing  organic  material  which  might  serve  as  pabulum  for  disease 
germs  external  to  the  body. 

With  the  assistance  of  Dr.  Abbott,  I  have  recently  made  a  series  of 
experiments,  the  results  of  which  are  given  in  the  following  table  : 

Active.  Failed. 

Biniodide  of  mercury, I  :  20,000  I  :  40,000 

Bichloride, 1:15,000  1  ;  20,000 

Protiodide, 1  •  10,000  1  :  20,000 

Yellow  oxide, 1  :    1,000  1 :    2,000 

Black  oxide, 1 :       500  1  :    1,000 

Calomel, 1  ■       100 

Blue  mass, 1 :       100 

In  every  case  the  antiseptic  was  carefully  weighed  and  added  to  100 
c.  c.  of  beef-peptone  solution,  or  of  veal  broth.  A  similar  quantity  of  the 
culture-fluid  was  put  up  as  a  temoin  without  the  addition  of  the  antisep- 
tic. As  the  oxides  and  iodides  of  mercury  are  insoluble  in  water,  the 
bottle  was  repeatedly  shaken  in  order  to  dissolve  in  the  albuminous 
culture-fluid  as  much  of  the  antiseptic  as  possible.  An  undissolved  rem- 
nant could,  however,  be  recognized  at  the  bottom  of  the  bottle  after  this 
repeated  shaking.  Two  drops  of  broken-down  beef  stock  were  added  to 
each  bottle  to  cause  speedy  putrefaction  of  the  culture-fluid  in  the  absence 
of  a  sufficiently  potent  inhibition  of  the  developing  power  of  the  bacteria 
of  putrefaction.  In  every  case  in  the  comparative  experiment  the  cult- 
ure-fluid became  clouded,  and  had  a  putrefactive  odor  at  the  end  of 
twenty-four  hours. 

The  first  column  in  our  table  shows  the  proportion  in  which  the  cult- 
ure-fluid was  preserved  from  any  appearance  of  decomposition  for  at 
least  a  week,  the  duration  of  the  experiment.  In  the  proportion  given 
in  the  second  column  a  decided  inhibiting  power  was  shown,  except 
in  the  case  of  calomel  and  blue  mass,  which,  in  the  proportion  given 
(1  :  100),  gave  no  evidence  of  antiseptic  power.     The  other  salts  and 


52  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

oxides  in  the  list  prevented  decomposition  for  twenty-four  hours  in  the 
proportion  given  in  the  second  column  ;  and  it  was  not  until  the  second 
day  that  the  bacteria  of  putrefaction  commenced  to  form  a  cloud  at  the 
upper  surface  of  the  fluid,  which  gradually  extended  until  the  fluid  had 
entirely  broken  down,  usually  by  the  third  or  fourth  day.  The  bottles 
containing  the  biniodide  (i  :  20,000),  and  the  bichloride  (1  :  15,000)  have 
now  been  standing  in  the  laboratory  for  three  weeks,  and  are  as  trans- 
parent and  free  from  odor  as  the  day  they  were  put  up.  These  results 
agree  with  those  reported  by  Miquel. 

So  far  as  I  know,  the  antiseptic  value  of  the  protiodide  and  of  the 
oxides  of  mercury  has  not  heretofore  been  determined.  I  shall  refrain 
at  present  from  making  any  remarks  upon  the  therapeutic  possibilities 
which  these  figures  suggest,  or  upon  the  possible  explanation  of  the 
modus  operandi  of  the  protiodide,  given  daily  for  many  months  in  the 
cure  of  syphilis,  or  of  the  use  of  yellow  oxide  as  a  remedy  for  septic  fer- 
mentation in  the  alimentary  canal.  The  still  greater  inhibiting  power 
of  mercuric  chloride  for  the  spores  of  B.  anthracis  has  already  been 
referred  to  in  the  paper  published  on  page  41  of  this  report. 


SULPHUR   DIOXIDE. 

BY   GEORGE    M.    STERNBERG. 

Vallin,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  best  practical  "  treatise  upon 
disinfectants  and  disinfection  "  \  which  has  yet  been  published,  says, — 

"  Sulphurous  acid,  obtained  by  the  combustion  of  sulphur  in  free  air, 
occupies  almost  the  first  place  among  the  veritable  disinfectants."2 

This  is  the  deliberate  judgment  of  one  who  had  carefully  considered 
the  experimental  evidence  accessible  at  the  time  this  opinion  was  formu- 
lated (1882). 

The  use  of  sulphurous  acid  gas  as  a  disinfecting  agent  has  come  down 
to  us  from  remote  antiquity,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  no  gaseous  disin- 
fectant known  is  more  extensively  used,  or  has  a  higher  place  in  the 
confidence  of  leading  sanitary  authorities  at  the  present  day.  So  well 
established  is  the  belief  that  the  fumes  of  burning  sulphur  will  destroy 
the  infection  of  small-pox,  scarlet  fever,  yellow  fever,  etc.,  that  it  is  prob- 
able that  many  believers  in  the  germ  theory  of  disease  would  be  disposed 
to  abandon  this  belief  rather  than  to  give  up  their  faith  in  the  disinfecting 
power  of  sulphurous  acid  gas,  in  case  the  experimental  evidence  relating 
to  the  germicide  power  of  this  agent  should  be  in  conflict  with  the 
results  of  their  experience. 

It  is  the  object  of  the  present  paper  to  present  the  experimental  evi- 
dence for  the  consideration  of  sanitarians,  and,  as  the  subject  is  one  of 

1  E.  Vallin,  Medecin  Principal  de  ire  Classe  de  1'Armee,  Professeur  d'  Hygiene  a  l'ecole  de  Med. 
Militaire  du  Val-de-Grace,  etc.     Traite  des  Disinfectants  et  de  la  Disinfection,  Paris,  1882. 

2  Op.  cit,  p.  243. 


RErOKT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  53 

great  practical  importance,  the  paper  will  necessarily  be  one  of  consid- 
erable length. 

Before  the  modern  methods  of  isolating  and  cultivating  pathogenic 
micro-organisms  had  been  perfected,  various  efforts  had  been  made  to 
determine  by  experiment  the  disinfecting  power  of  sulphurous  acid  gas. 
One  of  the  first  of  these  experiments  upon  record  is  that  which  the  Rus- 
sian physicians  are  said  to  have  made  at  the  time  of  the  pest  in  Moscow, 
in  1 771.  According  to  Dr.  A.  Wolff,  ten  cloaks  (pelisses)  which  had 
been  worn  by  soldiers  seized  with  the  plague,  during  their  sickness,  were 
exposed  to  fumigation  ( unc  forte  fumigation)  with  sulphur  and  salt- 
petre. Ten  criminals,  condemned  to  death,  were  then  required  to  wear 
these  garments,  and  not  one  of  them  contracted  the  malady.  In  the 
absence  of  any  control-experiment  in  which  similar  garments  not  disin- 
fected were  proved  to  communicate  the  disease,  we  cannot  admit  that 
disinfection  was  accomplished  in  this  instance,  as  claimed  by  the  Rus- 
sian physicians,  by  the  fumigation  resorted  to.  The  same  criticism  may 
be  made  with  reference  to  most  of  the  evidence  relied  upon  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  which  is  supposed  to  establish  the  value  of  the  agent  in  question. 
It  is  negative  in  character,  and  we  have  no  control-experiments.  More- 
over, accompanying  or  following  the  fumigation,  other  measures  are 
commonly  adopted,  such  as  free  ventilation  and  cleansing  of  apartments, 
exposure  of  clothing  and  bedding  to  an  abundance  of  fresh  air,  etc.  As 
in  clinical  experiments  a  fictitious  value  is  often  assigned  to  remedies  by 
reason  of  the  failure  of  the  experimenter  to  recognize  the  influence  of  the 
vis  medicatrix  natures,  so  there  is  reason  to  believe  a  "disinfectant" 
may  often  establish  a  temporary  reputation  at  least,  upon  the  real  vir- 
tues of  an  abundance  of  fresh  air,  together  with  a  free  use  of  hot  water 
and  scrubbing  brushes,  with  perhaps  a  judicious  use  of  the  whitewash 
brush  in  addition.  These  remarks  are  made,  not  to  throw  discredit  in 
advance  upon  the  agent  under  consideration,  but  with  a  view  to  showing 
that  a  careful  survey  of  the  experimental  evidence  is  necessary,  and  that 
a  spirit  of  scientific  conservatism  is  required  when  the  attempt  is  made 
to  estimate  the  value  of  negative  evidence  in  a  case  of  this  kind. 

In  vaccine  virus  we  have  an  infectious  material  which  seems  especially 
well  adapted  as  a  test  of  disinfecting  power,  and  the  inference  seems  jus- 
tified that  an  agent  which  will  destroy  the  specific  virulence  of  this  ma- 
terial may  also  be  relied  upon  for  the  destruction  of  the  small-pox  infec- 
tion. The  writer  applied  this  test  in  a  series  of  experiments  made  in 
1SS0  and  1881,  and  published  in  the  Bulletin  of  the  National  Board  of 
Health.  The  results  obtained  have  been  summarized  by  Vallin,  and,  as 
his  work  is  before  me,  I  quote  from  it  as  follows  : 

Dougal  and  Baxter  have  shown  the  neutralizing  power  o  sulphurous  acid  upon  differ- 
ent kinds  of  inoculable  virus.  Both  exposed  for  ten  minutes,  in  an  atmosphere  saturated 
with  sulphurous  fumes,  ivory  points  charged  with  dry  vaccine  virus.  At  the  end  of  this 
time  the  neutralized  virus  was  inoculated  by  three  punctures  in  the  arm  of  a  non-vac- 
cinated infant,  while  in  the  other  arm,  at  the  same  time,  three  punctures  were  made  with 
ivory  points  charged  with  the  same  virus,  but  not  exposed  to  sulphurous  acid.     The  last- 


54  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

mentioned  punctures  were  all  followed  by  perfectly  developed  vesicles ;  the  punctures 
upon  the  other  arm  gave  no  result.  Unfortunately  the  quantity  of  the  acid,  or  of  sulphur 
burned,  is  not  mentioned.     This  time,  by  exception,  Baxter  leaves  us  in  doubt. 

Dr.  Sternberg,  surgeon  in  the  United  States  Army,  has  taken  up  these  experiments  in 
an  ingenious  manner,  and  with  greater  precision.  This  author  burned  a  determined 
quantity  of  sulphur  in  a  wooden  box  having  a  capacity  of  ten  litres.  He  submitted  to 
the  vapors  thus  produced  liquid  vaccine  virus,  placed  in  a  watch-glass,  for  a  period  of 
twelve  hours.  The  following  day  unvaccinated  infants  were  inoculated  in  one  arm  with 
the  disinfected  virus,  and  in  the  other  with  a  portion  of  the  same  virus  not  exposed  to  the 
disinfectant. 

Liquid  virus  thus  exposed  for  twelve  hours  to  the  action  of  the  fumes  from  3  centi- 
grammes of  sulphur  burned  in  the  air-chamber — that  is,  24  cubic  centimetres  of  gas  to 
10  litres  of  air,  or  a  little  more  than  two  parts  in  a  thousand — produced  but  a  single 
vesicle,  while  the  non-disinfected  virus  in  the  other  arm  gave  a  successful  result  in  every 
instance.  Upon  doubling  the  amount  of  sulphur, — that  is,  6  centigrammes  to  10  litres, 
or  6  grammes  per  cubic  metre,  or  5  volumes  of  sulphurous  acid  to  1,000  volumes  of  air, — 
and  reducing  the  time  of  exposure  to  four  hours,  the  vaccine  still  remained  inactive  after 
exposure. 

It  suffices,  then,  to  burn  5  grammes  of  sulphur  in  a  cubic  metre  of  air,  in  order  to  neu- 
tralize liquid  vaccine,  but  this  vaccine  coagulates  almost  immediately  upon  contact  with 
sulphurous  acid  gas ;  and  this  contributes,  perhaps,  to  destroy,  or  to  modify,  its  inocula- 
bility.  We  shall  see,  further  on,  that  experiment  made  in  spaces  of  such  small  dimen- 
sions may  lead  to  grave  errors. 

In  order  to  disinfect  dry  vaccine,  Sternberg  found  that  a  considerably  larger  quantity 
of  sulphur  was  required,  viz.,  16  grammes  per  cubic  metre,  which  corresponds  with  the 
classical  proportion  of  1  volume  of  sulphurous  acid  gas  to  100  volumes  of  air.  In  this 
regard  the  experiments  of  Sternberg  confirm  those  which  have  been  obtained  by  many 
other  authors. 

Baxter  has  also  tested  the  power  of  an  aqueous  solution  of  sulphur 
dioxide  to  disinfect  the  virus  of  glanders,  and  an  infectious  form  of  sep- 
ticaemia— induced — in  guinea-pigs.  Four  parts  of  S02  by  weight,  added 
to  1,000  parts  of  the  diluted  virus  of  glanders,  neutralized  its  infective 
properties,  as  determined  by  inoculation  experiments.  The  septic  virus 
was  destroyed  by  3  parts  by  weight  in  100,  while  6  in  1,000  failed.  The 
time  of  exposure  to  the  disinfectant  in  these  experiments  is  said  to  have 
been  from  thirty  minutes  to  three  hours  ;  but  this  is  considered  by  Baxter 
to  be  a  matter  of  secondary  importance,  and,  according  to  him,  disinfec- 
tion is  complete  at  the  end  of  five  minutes,  when  the  virus  has  been  inti- 
mately mixed  with  the  disinfecting  solution. 

The  wide  limits  (3  :  100  and  6  :  1,000)  between  success  and  failure 
in  these  experiments  of  Baxter,  and  an  evident  want  of  precision  in  the 
conditions,  especially  as  to  time,  induced  Vallin,  from  whom  we  have 
quoted  the  above  results,  to  undertake  additional  experiments  with  the 
virus  of  glanders.     He  says, — 

I  had,  in  January,  1881,  an  opportunity  to  repeat  these  experiments.  A  patient  in  the 
service  of  our  colleague,  M.  Gaujat,  at  Val  de  Grace,  was  attacked  with  glanders, — abces 
farcineux  multiples, — and  furnished  an  inoculable  pus,  with  which  Dr.  Kiener  produced  m 
several  animals — guinea-pigs,  cats,  etc. — the  characteristic  lesions  of  glanders.  A  small 
quantity  of  this  pus  obtained  directly  from  the  patient,  and  placed  in  a  watch-glass,  was 
exposed  for  twelve  hours  in  a  wooden  box  having  a  capacity  of  exactly  100  litres.  Two 
grammes  of  sulphur  were  burned  in  this  box, — an  amount  which  corresponds  with  20 
grammes  per  cubic  metre.     The  following  day  a  guinea-pig  was  inoculated  with  the  disin- 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  55 

fected  virus.  At  the  end  of  three  months  this  animal  remained  in  perfect  health.  An- 
other guinea-pig,  inoculated  the  same  day  with  a  second  portion  of  the  same  virus  pre- 
served between  two  watch-glasses,  and  not  disinfected,  died  at  the  end  of  two  months 
with  the  characteristic  lesions  of  glanders. 

Additional  experiments  were  made  with  the  same  virulent  pus  dried 
in  the  open  air  upon  little  squares  of  flannel.  Inoculation  with  this  ma- 
terial failed  after  exposure  to  sulphur  dioxide  generated  by  burning  sul- 
phur in  the  proportion  of  15  grammes  per  cubic  metre.  But  inoculation 
with  the  desiccated  virus  not  exposed  to  a  disinfecting  agent  also  failed, 
and  Vallin  remarks  that  desiccation  alone  had  perhaps  sufficed  to  destroy 
the  virus,  as  in  the  experiments  of  Galtier.  Experiments  were  also  made 
with  pus  obtained  from  a  tuberculous  abscess  in  a  case  of  Pott's  disease. 
This  material  was  divided  into  two  portions,  and  placed  in  watch-glasses. 
One  portion  was  subjected  for  twelve  hours  to  the  action  of  sulphur 
dioxide  generated  by  burning  sulphur  in  the  proportion  of  20  grammes 
per  cubic  metre.  This  pus,  injected  subcutaneously  into  a  guinea-pig, 
produced  no  result.  At  the  end  of  four  months  the  animal  remained  in 
good  health.  The  non-disinfected  pus  injected  into  another  guinea-pig 
caused  its  death  on  the  forty-eighth  day.  Its  liver,  spleen,  lungs,  and 
peritoneum  were  filled  with  tubercle  granules.  Other  experiments  were 
made  with  pus  obtained  from  two  chancres  "of  doubtful  nature."  Inoc- 
ulation with  this  material,  after  exposure  to  S02  (15  grammes  of  sulphur 
per  cubic  metre  of  space) ,  gave  no  result,  while  the  non-disinfected  pus 
produced  "characteristic  pustules." 

In  the  experiments  thus  far  recorded,  the  disinfecting  power  of  the  agent 
under  consideration  is  fully  established  for  certain  kinds  of  material,  and 
especially  for  vaccine  virus.  In  my  own  experiments  upon  this  material 
the  results  were  extremely  definite,  and  the  conditions  observed  were  such 
as  to  render  them  unimpeachable.  Experiments  upon  original  virus  from 
various  sources  are  especially  valuable  from  a  practical  point  of  view,  in- 
asmuch as  the  results  obtained  are  evidently  reliable  guides  with  reference 
to  the  destruction  of  infective  virulence  in  the  several  kinds  of  material 
experimented  upon,  and  this  without  regard  to  any  theory  as  to  the  na- 
ture of  the  morbific  agent.  We  know,  however,  that  in  several  infectious 
diseases  at  least,  this  agent  is  a  living  organism  or  germ.  It  is  therefore 
a  matter  of  importance  to  determine  the  exact  germicide  power  of  this 
and  other  agents  which  have  been  proved  to  be  useful  disinfectants,  and 
numerous  experiments  have  been  made  with  this  object  in  view.  If  the 
germ  theory  of  disease  is  correct,  as  applied  to  all  infectious  diseases, 
there  should  be  a  correspondence  between  the  results  obtained  in  experi- 
ments with  original  virus  and  those  made  upon  pure  cultures  of  the  path- 
ogenic organism  to  which  such  virus  owes  its  infecting  power.  This  is 
an  interesting  question  in  connection  with  the  agent  under  consideration, 
inasmuch  as  Wernitz  has  shown  that  sulphurous  acid  promptly  neutral- 
izes the  action  of  non-living  ferments  in  comparatively  small  amounts, 
and  there  is  therefore  ground  for  the  supposition  that  the  specific  disease 
poisons  destroyed  by  this  agent  in  the  disinfection  experiments  above 
recorded  were  of  this  nature. 


56  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

According  to  Wernitz,1  the  action  of  pepsine,  of  ptyaline,  of  invertine, 
and  of  diastase,  is  prevented  by  the  presence  of  an  aquaeous  solution  of 
S02  of  i  :  13 1 7  to  1  :  S60  (by  weight)  ;  while  the  action  of  myrosine  and 
of  emulsine  is  neutralized  by  1  :  21,000. 

Wernich,  of  Breslau,  experimenting  in  the  Pathological  Institute  of 
Berlin,  1877,  saturated  strips  of  woollen  or  cotton  goods  with  putrid 
liquids,  and  exposed  them  under  a  bell-jar  containing  a  definite  propor- 
tion of  sulphurous  acid  gas.  Then,  with  proper  precautions,  these 
strips  were  introduced  into  tubes  containing  Pasteur's  culture  solution, 
thoroughly  sterilized.  The  development  of  bacteria  in  this  fluid  was 
taken  as  evidence  that  disinfection  was  not  complete.  The  results  ob- 
tained are  summarized  by  Vallin2  as  follows  : 

When  the  strips  of  material  were  suspended  for  several  hours  under  a 
bell-jar  containing  3.3  volumes  of  sulphurous  acid  per  100  volumes  of  air, 
they  were  not  disinfected.  When  the  proportion  of  gas  was  increased  to 
7  per  cent.,  or  even  to  4  per  cent.,  the  time  of  exposure  being  six  hours, 
the  strips  of  goods  no  longer  fertilized  culture  liquids. 

Schotte  and  Gartner,3  in  18S0,  experimented  also  upon  the  bacteria  of 
putrefaction.  In  a  chamber  having  a  capacity  of  40  cubic  metres  they 
placed,  at  various  levels,  shallow  dishes  containing  culture  liquids,  into 
which  putrefactive  bacteria  were  introduced.  Sulphur  was  burned  in 
earthen  vessels,  placed  about  four  feet  above  the  level  of  the  floor.  When 
the  amount  burned  was  in  the  proportion  of  15  grammes  per  cubic  metre 
of  space — an  amount  which  gives  one  volume  of  S02  to  100  volumes 
of  air — it  was  found  that  at  the  end  of  six  hours  the  gas  had  escaped 
to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  possible  to  enter  and  remain  in  the  room, 
although  during  the  entire  time  the  doors  and  windows  had  been  care- 
fully closed.  The  result  of  the  experiment  was,  that  the  culture  liquids 
exposed  in  the  upper  part  of  the  chamber  remained  clear,  while  those 
placed  upon  the  floor  broke  down  at  the  end  of  from  twenty-four  to  thirty- 
six  hours.  When  the  amount  of  sulphur  burned  was  increased  to  2S 
grammes  per  cubic  metre  (about  two  volumes  per  cent,  of  SO.,),  disin- 
fection wras  complete.  When  the  culture  fluids  were  placed  upon  the 
shelves  of  a  cupboard,  "  half  closed,"  and  situated  in  the  corner  of  the 
chamber,  disinfection  was  only  obtained  by  burning  92  grammes  of  sul- 
phur per  cubic  metre  of  space. 

We  remark  that  the  test  of  disinfection  was  not  satisfactory  in  these 
experiments.  A  certain  amount  of  S02  was,  no  doubt,  absorbed  by  the 
exposed  culture  liquids  ;  and  these,  in  successful  experiments,  failed  to 
break  down,  because  of  the  antiseptic  or  restraining  influence  of  this 
agent.  But,  to  prove  that  the  germs  of  putrefaction  in  these  culture 
liquids  were  killed,  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  inoculate  fresh  cul- 
tures with  a  small  amount  of  this  material  which  had  been  exposed  to  the 
action  of  a  disinfectant. 

1  I.  Wernitz,  Ueber  die  Wirkung  der  Antiseptic  a  anf '  ttngeformte  Fermente,  Dorpat,  1SS1. 

2  Op.  cit.,  p.  234. 

3  Viertelj.  f.  Oeff.  Gesund.,  1880,  t.  xii,  pp.  337-376. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   OX  DISINFECTANTS,  $7 

Other  experiments  were  made  by  the  authors  named,  which  we  shall 
quote  in  the  language  of  Vallin  i1 

Strips  of  very  thick  woollen  goods  were  soaked  in  culture  liquids  containing  bacteria. 
These  were  dried,  a  proceeding  which  did  not  destroy  the  vitality  of  the  bacteria,  as  proved 
by  culture  experiments.  These  strips  were  suspended  from  a  cord  stretched  across  the 
middle  of  the  chamber  at  a  level  of  about  five  feet  above  the  floor.  Half  of  the  strips 
were  left  dry ;  the  other  half,  after  having  been  dried,  were  again  moistened,  so  that  they 
might  be  exposed  in  a  moist  condition  to  the  sulphurous  vapors.  Our  authors  arrived  at 
the  following  unexpected  results  :  Even  after  having  been  exposed  to  the  action  of  sulphur 
dioxide,  produced  by  the  combustion  of  92  grammes  of  sulphur  per  cubic  metre,  the 
moistened  strips  caused  culture  liquids,  in  which  they  were  placed,  to  break  down  at  the 
end  of  three  or  four  days.  The  dry  strips  exposed  in  the  same  way  produced  the  same 
results  somewhat  sooner — dans  le3e  joar.  Gartner  and  Schotte  have  concluded  from  this 
that  the  germs,  or  proto-organisms,  hidden  in  the  deeper  portions  of  the  very  thick  wool- 
len goods,  resist  strong  fumigations  with  sulphurous  acid  gas,  or  with  other  disinfectants. 
They  arrive  almost  to  the  point  of  doubting  the  possibility  of  a  certain  and  absolute  dis- 
infection, at  least  by  the  gases  or  vapors. 

The  limits  of  this  paper  admit  only  of  a  brief  abstract  of  the  elaborate 
experimental  researches  relating  to  the  value  of  sulphur  dioxide  as  a  dis- 
infectant, made  by  Koch'2  and  by  Wolffhugel,3  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Imperial  Board  of  Health  of  Germany,  and  published  in  the  first  volume 
of  the  Mittheilujigen  ans  dem  Kaiserlichen  Gesundheitsa?nte. 

The  experiments  of  WolfFhiigel  relate  to  questions  concerning  the 
practical  use  of  S02,  the  best  methods  of  producing  it,  etc.,  while  those 
of  Koch  are  designed  to  fix  its  exact  germicide  value.  In  Koch's  first 
experiments  sulphur  dioxide  was  generated  by  burning  sulphur  in  a  box 
having  a  capacity  of  290  litres.  Other  experiments  were  made  in  a  closed 
chamber.  The  amount  of  S02  present  was  estimated  at  the  outset  and 
at  various  intervals.  Thus  in  his  third  experiment,  in  which  the  disin- 
fection box  was  used,  the  amount  of  SO^  was, — 

At  first, 6.13  vol.  per  cent. 

At  the  end  of  24  hours, 4.88     "  " 

At  the  end  of  72  hours, 4.47     "  " 

At  the  end  of  96  hours, 3-3       "         " 

In  tli is  experiment  only  spore-containing  material  was  exposed  in  the 
disinfection  box.  This  consisted  of  old  dried  milzbrand  (anthrax)  blood, 
anthrax  spores  dried  upon  silk  threads,  spore-containing  earth,  and  hay 
bacillus  spores  dried  upon  blotting  paper.  The  result  was  entirely  nega- 
tive :  the  developing  power  of  the  spores  was  not  in  any  instance  destroy- 
ed, even  after  ninety-six  hours'  exposure,  and  a  mouse  inoculated  with  the 
dried  blood,  exposed  for  this  length  of  time,  died  promptly  of  anthrax. 

The  results  obtained  with  material  not  containing  spores  were  more 
satisfactory,  but  still  not  of  a  nature  to  give  confidence  in  this  agent  as  a 
reliable  disinfectant  for  the  purposes  and  in  the  manner  it  which  it  is 
commonly  applied.  The  experiments  show,  in  the  first  place,  that  it  is 
not  safe  to  apply  the  data  obtained  by  burning  sulphur  under  a  bell-jar, 
or  in  a  tight  box  of  small  dimensions,  to  disinfection  on  a  large  scale, 

1  Op.  cit.,  p.  253. 

2  Op.  cit.,  pp    252-261 
5  Ibid.,  pp.  1S8-233.      ' 


58  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

owing  principally  to  the  rapid  loss  of  gas  which  occurs  in  an  ordinary 
apartment,  with  all  apertures  carefully  closed.  Thus  in  Koch's  fifth  ex- 
periment in  a  closed  chamber,  the  rapid  loss  of  S02  is  shown  by  the  fol- 
lowing figures  : 

At  the  end  of  half  an  hour, 3.12  vol.  per  cent. 

At  the  end  of  2  hours, 1.25     "  " 

At  the  end  of  22  hours, .015  "  " 

In  Experiment  No.  2,  made  in  a  box  having  a  capacity  of  290  litres, 
anthrax  bacilli,  without  spores,  from  the  spleen  of  a  mouse  recently  dead, 
and  dried  upon  silk  thread,  were  destroyed  by  exposure  for  thirty  min- 
utes to  S02  in  the  proportion  of  1  vol.  per  cent. 

In  Experiment  No  7,  also  made  in  the  box,  the  amount  of  S02  at  the 
outset  was  .84;  at  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours,  .55.  An  exposure  of 
one  hour  in  this  experiment  destroyed  anthrax  bacilli  (still  moist)  upon 
silk  thread.  Four  hours'  exposure  failed  to  destroy  the  vitality  of  Micro- 
coccus prodigiosus  growing  upon  potato,  but  twenty-four  hours'  expos- 
ure was  successful.  The  same  result  was  obtained  with  the  bacteria  of 
blue  pus. 

In  Experiment  No.  8,  it  was  found  that  an  aqueous  solution  of  SO-2  of 
11.436  per  cent.,  by  weight,  did  not  destroy  anthrax  spores  in  twenty- 
four  hours,  but  was  successful  in  forty-eight  hours.  When  the  propor- 
tion of  S02  was  reduced  to  5  718  per  cent.,  disinfection  was  only  accom- 
plished after  five  days'  immersion  in  the  aqueous  solution. 

According  to  Arloing,  Cornevin,  and  Thomas,  sulphurous  acid  does 
not  destroy  the  bacteria  of  symptomatic  anthrax,  which  contain  spores. 

The  experimental  results  thus  far  recorded  will  perhaps  prepare  those 
who  have  heretofore  had  implicit  faith  in  the  disinfecting  power  of  sul- 
phurous acid,  to  accept,  without  too  much  incredulity,  the  following  re- 
sults obtained  by  the  writer  in  recent  experiments  with  this  agent : 

At  the  request  of  Dr  William  M  Smith,  health  officer  of  the  port  of 
New  York,  I  visited  that  city  on  the  9th  of  January,  1SS5,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  applying  biological  tests  in  an  experiment  designed  to  ascertain 
whether  it  is  practicable  to  disinfect  rags  in  the  bale.  A  manufacturing 
chemist  of  New  York  proposed  to  accomplish  this  by  injecting  sulphur 
dioxide  into  the  interior  of  the  bales  through  hollow  tubes.  The  S02 
had  been  compressed  to  the  liquid  form  in  copper  cylinders,  and  being 
under  a  pressure  of  six  atmospheres  was  expected  to  permeate  the  bale 
thoroughly  when  the  valve  was  opened  leading  to  the  hollow  and  per- 
forated screws  introduced  into  it.  The  bale  was  to  be  placed  in  a  closed 
chest  of  moderate  dimensions,  and  disinfection  wTas  to  be  accomplished 
within  a  few  minutes. 

The  experiment  was  made  at  the  Baltic  stores,  Brooklyn,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  Dr.  Smith,  health  officer  of  New  York  ;  Dr.  Raymond,  com- 
missioner of  health  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn  ;  and  several  other  gentlemen 
belonging  to  the  health  departments  of  New  York  and  of  Massachusetts. 

The  following  material,  which  I  had  brought  in  sterilized  tubes  from 
the  biological  laboratory  of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore,  was 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


59 


introduced  into  the  bale  through  openings  made  with  a  pocket  knife. 
The  depth  of  these  openings  was  from  two  to  four  inches.  The  material 
to  be  disinfected  was  upon  pledgets  of  cotton  previously  sterilized,  which 
had  been  saturated  with  pure  cultures  of  the  various  test-organisms. 
Some  of  these  pledgets  had  been  subsequently  dried  at  low  temperatures, 
others  remained  moist.  The  apertures  in  the  bale  were  closed,  after  in- 
troducing these  bits  of  cotton,  by  tamping  in  strips  of  old  muslin.  When 
these  preparations  had  been  made,  the  bale  of  rags  was  placed  in  the  dis- 
infection chamber,  and  the  gas  turned  on.  The  time  during  which  the 
gas  was  allowed  to  flow  was  three  minutes  and  a  half.  The  pressure, 
as  shown  by  a  gauge  in  connection  with  the  copper  cylinder,  was  eighty 
pounds  at  the  commencement  and  seventy-five  at  the  close  of  the  exper- 
iment. The  disinfection  chamber  was  not  tight,  and  all  those  in  the 
vicinity  were  obliged  to  retire  to  a  respectful  distance  to  windward  while 
the  gas  was  flowing,  and  for  a  considerable  time  afterward,  owing  to  the 
abundant  escape  and  stifling  effect  of  the  S02.  It  was  only  after  an  in- 
terval of  twenty  or  thirty  minutes  that  the  disinfection  chamber  could  be 
approached  to  withdraw  the  bale  ;  and  after  it  had  remained  in  the  open 
air  for  some  time,  I  was  almost  suffocated  while  removing  the  pledgets  of 
cotton  containing  the  test-organisms.  These  were  at  once  placed,  with 
sterilized  forceps,  in  sterilized  glass  tubes,  and  each  tube  was  at  once 
plugged  with  sterilized  cotton.  In  this  way  they  were  taken  back  to  the 
laboratory  in  Baltimore,  where  the  test  of  disinfection  was  completed  by 
culture  and  inoculation  experiments.  The  nature  of  the  material  and 
the  results  of  the  experiment  are  given  in  the  following  table  : 


Number 
of  tube 
contain- 
ing 
cotton 
pledget. 


No.  i. 


No.  2. 


No.  3. 


No.  4. 


No.  5. 


Nature 
of  material. 


Bacillus  anthracis 

containing  spores 

(dry). 


Bacillus  anthracis 

containing  spores 

(dry). 


Test  by 
cultivation. 


One  culture 
tube. 


One  culture 
tube. 


Bacillus  anthracis    Two  culture 
containing  spores  j        tubes, 
(moist). 

I 

Bacillus  subtilis   j  Two  culture 
spores  (dry).  tubes. 


Bacillus  subtilis    j  Three  culture 


spores  (moist). 


tubes. 


Result. 


Abundant  develop- 
ment of  anthrax 
filaments  in  twen- 
ty-four hours. 

Abundant  develop- 
ment of  anthrax 
filaments  in  twen- 
ty-four hours. 

Abundant  develop- 
ment in  both.  . 


Abundant  develop- 
ment of  Bacillus 
subtilis  in  both. 

Abundant  develop- 
ment of  Bacillus 
subtilis  in  each. 


Test  by 

inoculation. 


One  rabbit  in- 
oculated sub- 
cutaneously. 

One  rabbit  in- 
oculated sub- 
cutaneously. 


One   rabbit   in- 
oculated. 


Result. 


Died  of  an- 
thrax on 
third  day. 


Died  of  an- 
thrax on 
third  day. 


Survived 
the  inocu- 
lation. 


6o  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

Other  pledgets  of  cotton  had  been  exposed  in  the  bale,  which  had  been 
saturated  with  tuberculous  sputum  ;  but  this  part  of  the  experiment  was 
not  followed  up,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  rabbits  for  inoculation. 

Soon  after  my  return  to  Baltimore,  I  received  from  the  manufacturer, 
in  New  York,  a  copper  cylinder,  containing  a  liberal  supply  of  S02  in 
liquid  form.  With  this  the  following  experiment  was  made,  January 
25,  in  a  closet  having  a  capacity  of  eight  cubic  yards.  This  closet,  in 
the  basement  of  the  biological  laboratory,  had  been  constructed  under  the 
stairway  as  a  refrigerating  chamber.  The  walls  were  double,  and  filled 
in  with  asbestos  ;  and  the  door,  made  in  the  same  way,  was  fitted  to  close 
as  accurately  as  possible,  and  held  closed  by  a  strong  clamp. 

A  sufficient  quantity  of  the  liquid  S02  to  produce  ten  volumes  per 
cent.,  when  volatilized  in  the  closet  described,  was  drawn  from  the  cop- 
per cylinder  into  a  large  beaker,  quickly  placed  upon  the  floor  of  the  dis- 
infection chamber,  and  the  door  closed.  At  the  end  of  twelve  hours  the 
door  was  thrown  open,  and  the  gas  permitted  to  escape.  The  test-organ- 
isms were  exposed  upon  little  pledgets  of  absorbent  cotton,  which  had 
been  saturated  culture-fluids,  containing  the  various  micro-organisms  em- 
ployed. Some  of  these  pledgets  of  cotton  had  been  dried  at  a  low  tem- 
perature in  advance  of  the  experiment,  and  others  were  exposed  moist. 

Some  of  the  prepared  bits  of  absorbent  cotton  were  placed  in  glass  tubes, 
open  at  one  end  and  sealed  at  the  other.  Other  pledgets  were  loosely  fold- 
ed in  a  single  thickness  of  heavy  muslin,  which  had  been  sterilized  by  heat. 
The  ends  of  these  little  packages  were  left  open,  so  that  the  SO,  might 
have  free  access  to  the  interior.  These  packages,  properly  labelled,  were 
placed  in  the  inside  pockets  of  a  coat,  and  this  was  suspended  in  the  closed 
chamber  used  for  the  experiment.  The  glass  tubes  were  placed  in  an 
open  pasteboard  box  upon  the  floor  of  the  disinfection  chamber.  Other 
pledgets  of  cotton,  similarly  prepared,  were  wrapped  up  in  little  bundles 
of  cotton,  weighing  half  an  ounce  each,  and  enveloped  in  a  single  layer 
of  sterilized  muslin.  Still  other  pledgets  were  wrapped  up  in  a  woollen 
blanket  in  such  manner  that  they  were  in  the  centre  of  a  compact  bundle, 
eighteen  inches  long  and  ten  inches  in  diameter.  The  result,  as  deter- 
mined by  cultivation  experiments,  was  as  follows  : 

Cotton  pledgets  exposed  in  glass  tubes. 

Micrococci  from  case  of  vaccinal  erysipelas,  moist  and  dry.  No  de- 
velopment from  the  moist  material  ;  abundant  development  of  micrococci 
from  dry  material. 

Bacillus  subtilis  (spores),  moist  and  dry.  Abundant  development  of 
B.  subtilis  at  end  of  twenty-four  hours  from  both  moist  and  dry  material. 

Bacillus  anthracis  (spores),  dry.  Abundant  development  of  anthrax 
bacilli  within  twenty-four  hours. 

Cotton  pledgets  placed  in  coat  pocket. 
Micrococci  from   case  of  vaccinal  erysipelas,    moist  and   dry.      Two 
culture-tubes    inoculated   from   each.     Abundant  development  of  same 
micrococci  within  twentv-four  hours. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  6 1 

Bacillus  anthracis  (spores),  moist  and  dry.  Two  tubes  inoculated 
from  each.  Pure  cultures  of  B.  anthracis  obtained  in  each  within 
twenty-four  hours. 

Bacillus  subtilis  (spores),  moist  and  dry.  Two  tubes  inoculated  from 
each.  At  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours  a  mycoderma  of  B.  subtilis  was 
found  upon  the  surface  of  the  culture-liquid  in  each  of  these  tubes. 

The  complete  failure  thus  far  made  it  useless  to  open  the  bundles  of 
cotton  and  the  rolled  blanket,  which  were  put  aside  for  further  experi- 
ments. 

On  the  ist  of  February  a  second  experiment  was  made  in  the  same 
disinfection  chamber  upon  test-organisms  prepared  as  before.  In  this 
experiment  the  conditions  were  changed  by  the  introduction  of  steam 
into  the  chamber  through  a  tube  connected  with  a  retort  outside.  Two 
litres  of  water  were  evaporated,  and  the  steam  passed  into  the  chamber 
during  the  first  four  hours  of  the  experiment.  The  amount  of  S02  in 
this  experiment  was  increased  to  twenty  volumes  per  cent.  ;  the  time  of 
exposure  was  twelve  hours  ;  the  result  as  follows  : 

Organisms  exposed  in  coat  pocket. 

Coat  suspended  from  wall,  and  pledgets  of  cotton  loosely  folded  in 
filter  paper,  wTith  ends  of  packages  open  for  free  admission  of  gas. 

B.  subtilis  (spores) ,  moist  and  dry.  Abundant  development  in  twenty- 
four  hours  in  culture-fluids  inoculated  with  the  exposed  spores. 

B.  Anthracis  (spores),  moist  and  dry.  Abundant  development  of 
anthrax  filaments  in  culture-tubes  inoculated  with  this  material. 

Micrococci — pure  culture — from  blood  drawn  from  inflamed  area  in  a 
case  of  erysipelas.  One  moist  and  two  dry  pledgets.  Pure  cultures  of 
this  micrococcus  were  obtained  from  all  of  these  after  exposure  in  coat 
pocket  as  described. 

Organisms  exposed  on  pledgets  of  cotton  in  open  tubes  placed  upon 
the  Jloor  of  disinfection  chamber. 

B.  subtilis  (spores) ,  dry  and  moist.  Abundant  development  in  cul- 
ture-fluids. 

B.  anthracis  (spores),  dry  and  moist.  Pure  cultures  obtained  from 
exposed  material. 

Micrococci,  from  erysipelas  (same  stock  as  above),  two  pledgets,  dry. 
Pure  cultures  obtained  from  both. 

The  complete  failure  to  destroy  the  test-organisms  under  the  condi- 
tions mentioned  induced  me  to  try  the  following  experiment : 

February  2. — Pure  S02  in  liquid  form  was  poured  into  a  tube  (exper- 
iment in  duplicate)  containing  spores  of  B.  subtilis  on  dry  cotton.  The 
rapid  volatilization  of  the  liquid  produced,  of  course,  intense  cold.  As 
the  tube  was  long  and  narrow,  and  volatilization  was  restrained  by  the 
low  temperature,  the  time  of  contact  with  the  SO.,,  was  at  least  ten  min- 
utes. The  vitality  of  the  spores  thus  brought  in  contact  with  the  liquid 
SOa  was  not  impaired,  as  shown  by  culture  experiments. 


62  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

The  experiment  was  repeated  February  5  with  anthrax  spores  upon 
moist  cotton.  The  result  was  the  same.  Anthrax  filaments  appeared 
in  cultures  inoculated  with  these  spores  at  the  end  of  forty-eight  hours. 

It  was  evidently  useless  to  extend  these  experiments  so  far  as  spores 
are  concerned ;  but  the  question  remained  as  to  the  practicability  of 
destroying  pathogenic  micrococci  and  bacilli  without  srjores.  As  Koch 
has  shown  that  the  loss  of  sulphur  dioxide  is  very  rapid  from  a  room 
which  is  carefully  closed  to  prevent  its  escape,  the  following  experiments 
were  made  in  a  gas-tight  receptable  : 

February  2. — The  following  named  test-organisms  were  placed  under 
a  bell-jar,  having  a  capacity  of  one  gallon.  The  jar  was  sealed  below 
by  resting  in  a  trough  containing  mercury.  Enough  liquid  S02  to  make 
twenty  volumes  per  cent,  was  introduced  into  this  jar,  and  was,  of 
course,  quickly  volatilized.  The  time  of  exposure  was  eighteen  hours  ; 
results  as  follows : 

Micrococci  (pure  culture)  obtained  from  a  case  of  vaccinal  erysipelas 
(culture  started  from  drop  of  blood  drawn  from  inflamed  area).  One 
moist  and  two  dry  pledgets  of  sterilized  cotton,  previously  saturated  with 
this  culture,  were  exposed  in  glass  tubes  open  at  one  end  ;  also  a  few 
drops  of  the  culture-fluid  poured  into  a  similar  tube.  Result  negative; 
disinfection  was  complete,  as  proved  by  attempt  to  start  cultures  from 
the  exposed  organisms. 

Micrococci  (pure  culture)  from  blood  of  woman  with  puerperal  sep- 
ticaemia (fatal  case).  Exposed  one  pledget  of  cotton,  moist,  in  glass 
tube,  and  a  few  drops  of  culture-fluid  in  the  bottom  of  two  other  glass 
tubes  ;  disinfection  complete. 

Micrococci  (pure  culture)  from  vaccine  vesicle.  Exposed  two  pledgets 
of  cotton,  moist,  and  one  tube  containing  a  few  drops  of  pure  culture  ; 
disinfection  complete. 

Micrococcus  urece  (pure  culture  in  beef  tea) .  Exposed  one  pledget 
of  cotton,  moist,  and  one  tube  containing  a  few  drops  of  culture  ;  disin- 
fection complete. 

Having  determined  by  this  experiment  that  S02,  even  in  the  absence 
of  moisture,  may  kill  micrococci,  a  second  experiment  was  made  to 
ascertain  whether  the  quantity  of  the  disinfecting  agent  could  be  reduced 
so  as  to  bring  it  more  nearly  within  practical  limits. 

February  7. — S02  was  introduced  under  the  bell-jar,  as  above  described, 
and  the  following  test-organisms  exposed  to  its  action  for  twenty  hours  : 

Micrococci  from  vaccinal  erysipelas.1  Exposed  two  pledgets  of  cot- 
ton, dry,  in  glass  tubes.  From  one  of  these,  cultures  of  this  micrococcus 
were  obtained ;  cultures  inoculated  from  the  other  remained  sterile. 
Two  pledgets  of  cotton  moistened  with  a  recent  culture  were  also  ex- 
posed.    Cultures  from  these  remained  sterile.     A  few  drops  of  a  fresh 

1  The  writer  does  not  commit  himself  to  the  view  that  the  micrococci  from  the  various  sources 
mentioned  are  specifically  different,  and  the  cause  of  the  morbid  phenomena  in  the  individuals  from 
whose  blood  the  cultures  were  started,  inasmuch  as  he  has  not  been  able  to  obtain  any  definite  proof 
that  such  is  the  case.  On  the  other  hand,  he  admits  that  it  is  extremely  probable  that  they  are  con- 
cerned in  the  development  of  these  morbid  phenomena,  and  are,  in  fact,  pathogenic  organisms. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  63 

culture  placed  in  the  bottom  of  a  glass  tube  subsequently  fertilized — ster- 
ilized culture-fluids — failed  to  disinfect. 

M.  urece,  exposed  upon  two  pledgets  of  cotton,  moist ;  disinfection 
complete. 

In  the  above  experiment,  the  material  to  be  disinfected  was  placed  near 
the  bottom  of  the  jar.  In  the  following  experiment  a  taller  jar,  having  a 
capacity  of  five  litres,  was  used,  and  the  test-organisms  were  exposed 
upon  a  shelf  near  the  centre  of  the  jar.  As  before,  liquid  S02  was  intro- 
duced in  an  open  beaker  in  a  proper  quantity  to  make  four  volumes  per 
cent.     The  time  of  exposure  was  twenty-four  hours. 

Micrococci  (pure  culture)  from  vaccine  vesicle,  on  cotton,  moist ;  dis- 
infection complete. 

Micrococci,  puerperal  septicaemia,  pure  culture  on  cotton,  moist;  dis- 
infection complete. 

Micrococci,  vaccinal  erysipelas,  pure  culture  on  cotton,  moist ;  failure 
to  disinfect. 

Micrococci,  from  vaccine  vesicle,  on  cotton,  dry,  in  duplicate  ;  disin- 
fection complete  in  one,  failure  in  the  other. 

I  have  also  tested  the  germicide  power  of  an  aqueous  solution  of 
S02  on  the  above-mentioned  micrococci,  with  the  following  results : 

February  5. — Equal  parts  of  a  recent  culture  of  micrococci  from  vac- 
cine vesicle,  micrococci  from  case  of  puerperal  septicaemia,  and  M.  urece, 
were  added  to  a  standard  solution  of  S02  containing  five  per  cent,  by 
weight.  The  time  of  contact  was  two  hours,  after  which  two  culture- 
tubes  were  inoculated  from  each  ;  no  development  occurred ;  disinfec- 
tion complete. 

February  7. — The  standard  solution  of  S02  (five  per  cent.)  diluted  to 
1  :  50  was  added,  in  equal  portions,  to  a  pure  culture  of  the  micrococcus 
from  vaccinal  erysipelas  (making  the  dilution  1  :  100— .05  per  cent,  of 
S02  by  weight,  or  1  :  2,000).  Cultures  inoculated  after  two  hours'  con- 
tact remained  sterile.  At  the  same  time  a  solution  of  1  :  100  was  added 
to  a  culture  of  the  micrococcus  from  a  vaccine  vesicle  (t.  e.,  1  : 4,000  by 
weight)  ;  in  this  case  disinfection  failed. 

February  10. — The  above  experiment  was  repeated  with  the  last- 
mentioned  micrococcus  with  solutions  containing  1  : 1,000,  1  :  2,000,  and 
1  :  4,000  of  S02  by  weight  (after  admixture  with  the  culture-fluid). 

The  result  corresponded  with  that  previously  obtained.  Disinfection 
was  accomplished  by  the  solution  of  1  :  1,000  and  1  :  2,000,  but  failed 
when  the  amount  was  reduced  to  1  : 4,000. 

February  11. — The  same  result  was  obtained  with  a  recent  culture  of 
the  micrococcus  from  case  of  puerperal  septicaemia,  i.e.,  the  standard 
solution  of  five  per  cent.,  when  diluted  with  forty-nine  parts  (1  :  50)  of 
distilled  water,  in  two  hours'  time  destroyed  the  developing  power  of 
this  micrococcus,  while  the  same  solution  diluted  to  1  :  100  (1  : 4,000  of 
S02  by  weight)  failed  to  disinfect. 

These  results  correspond  with  those  reported  by  Jalan  de  la  Croix, 
who  found  that  one  grain  of  S02  in  2,000  of  bouillon  filled  with  growing 


64  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

bacteria  causes  development  to  cease,  and  destroys  the  vitality  of  these 
bacteria.  When  spores  were  present,  however,  it  was  necessary  to  in- 
crease the  amount  to  i  :  135  (in  how  long  a  time?). 

I  may  add,  as  a  matter  of  interest,  although  not  directly  relating  to 
our  present  object,  that  the  same  standard  solution  of  five  per  cent,  by 
weight,  when  added  to  culture-fluids  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  250 
(z=i  :5,ooo  of  S02  by  weight) ,  prevents  the  development  of  all  the  above- 
mentioned  micrococci,  while  1  :  500  (1  :  10.000  of  S02)  fails  to  prevent 
the  development  of  the  bacteria  of  putrefaction,  or  of  the  micrococcus 
from  a  vaccine  vesicle,  upon  which  organisms  alone  I  have  thus  far  tested 
the  antiseptic  power  of  this  agent.  These  results  also  correspond  closely 
with  those  of  de  la  Croix,  and  show  that  sulphur  dioxide  ranks  very 
high  as  an  antiseptic. 

In  view  of  the  experimental  data  recorded,  it  is  evident  that  the  use  of 
sulphur  dioxide  for  the  disinfection  of  spore-containing  material  must  be 
abandoned.  This  is  the  conclusion  of  Wolffhiigel1  on  the  basis  of  Koch's 
biological  tests,  and  his  own  experiments.  He  is  therefore  inclined  to 
abandon  entirely  the  use  of  this  agent  for  disinfecting  purposes.  He 
says,  with  reference  to  the  question  of  its  use  for  material  not  containing 
spores,  that  the  answer  to  this  question  has  very  little  interest  from  a 
practical  point  of  view,  as  it  is  impossible  to  say  in  the  present  state  of 
knowledge  whether  we  have  to  deal  with  material  free  from  spores  or 
otherwise.  Under  the  circumstances  WolrThiigel  thinks  that  we  shall  do 
well  to  abandon  sulphur  dioxide,  and  to  use  only  such  methods  of  disin- 
fection as  will  be  effective  without  reference  to  the  presence  or  absence 
of  spores. 

I  am  not  ready  to  go  to  this  length,  and  to  recommend  the  abandon- 
ment of  an  agent  which  enjoys  the  confidence  of  practical  sanitarians  for 
the  destruction  of  the  infection  of  small-pox,  of  scarlet  fever,  of  diph- 
theria, of  cholera,  and  of  yellow  fever,  upon  the  ground  that  it  fails  to 
destroy  the  spores  of  the  anthrax  bacillus,  or  of  B.  subtilis ;  for  the  truth 
of  the  germ  theory  has  not  yet  been  definitely  established  for  any  one  of 
the  diseases  named,  and  Wernitz  has  shown  the  power  of  this  agent  to 
neutralize  non-living  ferments.  Admitting,  however,  as  I  do,  the  great 
probability  that  the  infectious  agent  in  these  diseases  is  a  living  germ, 
we  have  good  reason  for  believing  that  spores  are  not  formed  in  any  one 
of  these  diseases.  We  must  not  then  be  too  exacting  with  reference  to 
this  agent  until  we  are  able  to  recommend  something  better  in  its  place 
for  the  purposes  to  which  it  is  commonly  applied,  viz.,  for  the  disinfec- 
tion of  apartments  and  ships. 

My  experiments  show  most  conclusively  that  it  does  destroy  the  spe- 
cific infecting  power  of  vaccine  virus  dried  upon  ivory  points  when  pres- 
ent in  the  air  of  a  disinfecting  chamber  in  the  proportion  one  volume  per 
cent.,  and  that  in  aqueous  solution  it  destroys  the  vitality  of  various 
micrococci  in  comparatively  small  amounts.  It  is  even  practicable 
to    destroy   these    organisms    dried    upon    pledgets    of  cotton   by   long 

iQp.  cit.,  vol.  1,  p.  232. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  65 

exposure  in  gas-tight  receptacles.  But  the  conditions  of  success  are  such 
that  it  appears  almost  impracticable  to  conform  with  them  in  practice  on 
a  large  scale,  and  it  is  evident  that  much  of  the  so-called  "  disinfection" 
with  this  agent  is  a  farce. 

I  am  convinced  that  the  percentage  of  S02  present  in  the  disinfection 
chamber,  above  a  certain  limit,  is  of  less  moment  than  certain  conditions 
relating  to  the  material  to  be  disinfected.  Thus,  Koch  succeeded  in 
destroying  the  vitality  of  anthrax  bacilli,  still  moist  from  the  spleen  of  a 
mouse,  and  attached  to  silk  threads,  by  exposure  for  one  hour  to  .48 
volume  per  cent,  of  S02,  in  a  disinfection  chamber  the  atmosphere  of 
which  was  loaded  with  moisture.  In  my  own  experiments  with  vaccine 
virus  upon  ivory  points  a  still  smaller  amount  (5  volumes  per  1,000)  was 
effective  in  four  hours'  time.  Here  the  favorable  conditions  are  without 
doubt  the  very  thin  stratum  of  material  to  be  disinfected,  and  the  fact  that 
it  is  thoroughly  moistened. 

Admitting  that,  in  the  absence  of  spores,  micro-organisms  suspended 
in  the  atmosphere,  or  attached  to  the  surface  of  objects,  maybe  destroyed 
by  sulphur  dioxide  when  generated  in  a  sufficient  quantity  in  a  well- 
closed  apartment  and  in  the  presence  of  moisture,  the  question  remains 
whether  the  same  object  may  not  be  as  well  accomplished  by  thorough 
ventilation,  and  by  washing  all  surfaces — walls,  ceilings,  floors,  furni- 
ture, etc. — with  a  1  :  1,000  solution  of  mercuric  chloride,  which  we  know 
to  be  promptly  destructive  of  germs  of  all  kinds. 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH  SULPHUROUS  ACID  GAS. 

BY   J.    H.    RAYMOND. 

The  following  experiment  was  made  in  Brooklyn,  at  the  request  of  the 
commissioner  of  health,  with  the  object  of  determining  the  germicide 
value  of  sulphurous  acid  gas,  produced  by  the  burning  of  sulphur  in  the 
manner  recommended  by  boards  of  health  generally.  Dr.  George  M. 
Sternberg,  U.S.  A,  kindly  proffered  his  services,  and  conducted  the 
inoculation  with  the  material  prepared  by  him  at  Johns  H'opkins  Univer- 
sity. The  methods  employed  were  the  same  as  he  has  employed  in  sim- 
ilar experiments,  and  which  he  has  repeatedly  described.  Dr.  W.  E. 
Griffiths,  of  Brooklyn,  and  the  reporter  assisted  in  the  experiment. 

The  room  selected  was  on  the  second  floor  of  a  private  residence,  and 
connected  with  it  was  a  small  clothes-closet.  Two  doors  opened  out  from 
it, — one  into  the  hall,  the  other  into  an  adjoining  room.  The  experi- 
mental room  had  a  single  window.  All  cracks  and  crevices  by  which 
fumes  could  escape  were  carefully  closed  by  cotton.  In  the  room  were 
the  following  articles :  A  carpet  on  the  floor ;  a  wooden  bedstead  with 
springs,  on  which  were  two  mattresses  in  close  contact ;  a  chair,  over 
which  was  spread  a  bed-quilt ;  a  sofa ;  an  empty  stand  of  drawers,  on 
the  top  of  which  was  placed  a  large  book  ;  the  closet  was  empty.     The 


66  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

room  and  closet  together  contained,  as  nearly  as  could  be  ascertained, 
1,850  cubic  feet  of  air  space,  and  were  in  free  communication. 

On  the  1 8th  of  April  pieces  of  blanket,  about  four  inches  square, 
soaked  with  blood  from  a  rabbit  killed  while  affected  with  septicaemia, 
and  other  similar  pieces  soaked  with  blood  from  another  rabbit  affected 
with  anthrax,  were  exposed  in  different  parts  of  the  room,  as  hereafter 
described.  Some  of  these  pieces  were  folded  double,  with  the  blood  in- 
side the  fold  ;  others  were  left  unfolded. 

Piece  No.  1,  soaked  with  septicemic  blood,  unfolded,  was  placed  on 
the  floor  of  the  closet. 

No.  2,  septicemic  blood,  unfolded,  was  pinned  to  the  upper  part  of 
the  window  frame,  eight  feet  from  the  floor. 

No.  3,  septicemic  blood,  folded,  was  attached  to  frame  of  closet  door, 
seven  feet  from  the  floor. 

No.  4,  septicemic  blood,  unfolded,  was  placed  between  the  mattresses, 
which  were  in  close  contact. 

No.  5,  septicemic  blood,  unfolded,  pinned  to  the  under  side  of  the  bed- 
quilt,  which  was  spread  over  the  chair. 

No.  6,  anthrax  blood,  unfolded,  placed  on  the  closet  floor. 

No.  7,  anthrax  blood,  folded,  attached  to  frame  of  closet  door,  seven 
feet  from  the  floor. 

No.  8,  anthrax  blood,  unfolded,  placed  between  the  lower  mattress 
and  springs. 

No.  9,  anthrax  blood,  unfolded,  attached  to  frame  of  the  door  leading 
into  the  adjoining  room,  six  feet  from  the  floor. 

No.  10,  anthrax  blood,  unfolded,  placed  between  the  mattresses. 

No.  11,  anthrax  blood,  unfolded,  placed  under  the  carpet,  eight  inches 
from  the  edge,  the  carpet  again  laid  down,  but  not  tacked. 

No.  12,  anthrax  blood,  unfolded,  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  book, 
between  the  leaves,  the  book  being  closed. 

No.  13  was  a  piece  of  blanket  soaked  with  anthrax  blood,  which  was 
not  exposed  in  the  room,  but  was  prepared  for  purposes  of  comparison. 

No.  14  was  another  piece  soaked  with  septicemic  blood,  and  also  not 
exposed. 

Two  half-quills  of  fresh  bovine  vaccine  virus  were  placed  on  the  stand 
of  drawers,  and  one  half-quill  on  the  top  of  the  frame  of  the  door  leading 
into  the  adjoining  room.  The  corresponding  halves,  similarly  marked, 
were  placed  in  a  tight  preserve  jar,  which  was  at  once  put  in  a  refrig- 
erator in  another  part  of  the  house. 

In  the  middle  of  the  room  was  placed  a  large  coal  scuttle  nearly  filled 
with  wet  ashes,  and  in  this  an  iron  pot  holding  four  pounds  of  broken 
sulphur  and  two  pounds  of  flowers  of  sulphur.  This  was  then  well 
moistened  with  alcohol,  and  a  lighted  match  applied.  When  the  sul- 
phur was  well  burning  the  door  of  the  room  was  closed,  which  was  at 
1  :  25  p.  m.  At  u  :  25  p.  m.  the  hall  door  and  window  were  opened  for 
one  hour,  and  the  room  thoroughly  aired.  At  the  end  of  this  time  the 
odor  of  sulphur  was  distinctly  perceived,  but  there  was  no  difficulty  of 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  67 

breathing  in  any  part  of  the  room.  The  sulphur  in  the  pot  was  com- 
pletely consumed.  At  the  end  of  the  hour  the  door  and  window  were 
again  closed,  and  kept  so  until  10  A.  m.  the  following  day,  the  19th. 
When  the  door  was  again  opened  the  air  of  the  room  was  so  impreg- 
nated with  sulphur  that  respiration  was  impossible,  and  an  airing  of  ten 
minutes  was  necessary  before  it  could  be  entered. 

At  the  end  of  this  time  the  pieces  of  blanket  were  collected,  and  at  12 
m.  healthy  rabbits  were  inoculated  by  Dr.  Sternberg  with  the  blood 
soaked  out  from  the  pieces  of  blanket  in  sterilized  beef  tea.  The  rabbits, 
so  fast  as  inoculated,  were  put  in  a  cage,  each  in  a  separate  compartment, 
and  given  the  same  numbers  as  those  of  the  pieces  of  blanket,  with  the 
blood  of  which  they  had  been  inoculated.  The  inoculation  was  complete 
within  an  hour. 

The  vaccine  which  had  been  exposed  to  the  fumes  was  put  into  the  jar 
containing  the  non-fumigated  virus,  and  the  jar  replaced  in  the  refrigera- 
tor, where  it  was  kept  until  the  material  was  used  in  vaccination. 

RESULTS. 

Rabbit  No.  3,  inoculated  with  septicemic  blood  from  folded  piece, 
which  had  been  fumigated,  was  found  dead  in  the  cage  at  7  A.  m.,  April 
2 1  st,  forty-three  hours  after  inoculation.  He  was  apparently  well  the 
night  before  ;  the  exact  time  of  death  is  not  known. 

Rabbit  No.  14,  inoculated  with  non-fumigated  septicemic  blood,  died 
at  2  p.  m.,  April  21st,  fifty  hours  after  inoculation. 

Rabbit  No.  7,  inoculated  with  anthrax  blood  from  folded  piece  which 
had  been  fumigated,  was  found  dead  at  7  a.  m.,  April  23d,  ninety-one 
hours  after  inoculation,  being  apparently  well  the  night  before. 

April  20th  a  child,  7  months  old,  previously  unvaccinated,  was  vacci- 
nated by  Dr.  Griffiths  in  two  places  upon  the  same  arm,  one  with  virus 
from  the  fumigated  half,  and  the  other  with  virus  from  the  non-fumigated 
half,  of  the  same  quill.  The  latter  was  successful;  the'former  failed 
utterly. 

The  same  was  practised  upon  a  young  lady,  20  years  of  age,  showing 
no  vaccine  cicatrix,  and  stating  that  she  had  never  been  vaccinated,  with 
a  fumigated  and  a  non-fumigated  half  of  a  quill  with  the  same  result, 
namely,  failure  from  the  fumigated  and  success  from  the  non-fumigated 
slip. 

A  calf  was  vaccinated  in  the  same  way,  on  the  inner  sides  of  the  two 
thighs,  with  the  same  result. 

Interpretation  of  Results.  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  sulphur- 
ous acid  gas,  produced  from  burning  sulphur,  destroys  the  vitality  of 
vaccine  virus.  This  has  been  heretofore  demonstrated  by  Dr.  Sternberg, 
and  this  experiment  confirms  it. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  rabbit  inoculated  with  non-fumigated  septi- 
cemic blood,  No.  14,  died,  as  did  also  No.  3,  the  one  inoculated  from 
the  folded  piece  of  blanket ;  while  all  the  other  rabbits,  inoculated  with 


X 


6S  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

septicemic  blood,  were  apparently  unaffected,  and  survived — even  No  4, 
which  was  inoculated  with  blood  from  the  blanket  placed  between  the 
two  mattresses  in  close  contact.  I  cannot  understand  how  the  gas  could 
more  readily  have  found  its  way  between  the  mattress,  and  destroyed  the 
germs  there  placed,  than  between  the  folds  of  a  small  piece  of  blanket 
hung  up  in  the  room. 

As  the  rabbit  inoculated  with  non-fumigated  anthrax  was  apparently 
unaffected,  while  one  inoculated  with  fumigated  anthrax  died,  I  think  no 
conclusions  of  any  value  can  be  drawn  from  this  part  of  the  experiment. 

Finally,  after  a  careful  review  of  the  experiments  and  its  results,  I  am 
led  to  regard  the  vaccine  experiment  as  a  success,  and  confirming  what 
has  already  been  well  settled — the  experiment  with  septicaemia  as  unsat- 
isfactory, and  the  one  with  anthrax  as  a  failure. 

As  a  matter  of  precaution,  the  rabbits  were  kept  for  one  month  after 
inoculation,  at  the  end  of  which  time  all  were  well,  save  the  three  already 
referred  to. 

Note. — The  experiment  with  the  septic  virus  seems  to  me  to  have  been  quite  satisfac- 
tory and  definite.  The  temohi  died  at  the  proper  time,  showing  the  potency  of  the  virus. 
This  potency  was  destroyed  by  the  action  of  the  sulphur  dioxide  in  every  case  except  in 
that  in  which  the  piece  of  blanket  was  folded,  while  the  septic  blood  was  still  moist. 
This  was  the  most  difficult  test,  as  the  layer  of  dried  blood  to  be  penetrated  was  twice  as 
thick  as  in  the  unfolded  pieces  of  blanket,  and  it  was  necessary  that  the  gas  should  pene- 
trate an  entire  thickness  of  blanket  saturated  with  dried  blood,  in  order  to  reach  the 
germs  included  in  the  material  on  the  inside  which  cemented  the  folds  of  blanket  to- 
gether. The  failure  of  the  temoin  in  the  anthrax  experiment  is  a  sufficient  reason  for  ex- 
cluding this  part  of  the  experiment.  This  failure  was  no  doubt  due  to  the  fact  that  my 
anthrax  stock  is  very  much  "  attenuated"  in  virulence  by  having  been  cultivated  in  fluid 
media  through  many  successive  generations,  and  exposed  often  for  weeks  to  the  action  of 
oxygen  in  the  hermetically  sealed  flasks  in  which  I  keep  my  pure  cultures.  I  have  found 
that  this  same  stock  fails  completely  to  kill  white  rats,  but  it  commonly  kills  rabbits. 
Possibly  the  temohi  in  this  experiment  did  not  receive  as  large  an  amount  of  material  as  was 
injected  into  the  rabbit,  which  died  from  the  inoculation  with  anthrax  blood  taken  from 
the  folded  blanket.  The  fact  that  this  rabbit  did  die  shows  the  virulence  of  the  material, 
and  it  is  extremely  probable  that  this  virulence  was  destroyed  by  the  disinfectant  in  the 
unfolded  pieces  of  blanket,  although,  as  stated,  this  cannot  be  accepted  as  demonstrated, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  the  temoin  did  not  die.  G.  M.  Sternberg. 


EXPERIMENTS  ON  BURNING    SULPHUR  IN  CLOSED  ROOMS,  UNDER 
DIRECTION  OF  J.  H.  RAYMOND.i 

In  these  experiments  the  following  points  have  been  considered  :  The 
action  of  sulphur  fumes  on  various  ordinary  insects  and  different  kinds  of 
cloth,  the  amount  of  sulphur  which  may  be  burned  in  a  given  volume  of 
air,  the  volume  of  gases  resulting,  and  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  de- 
composition of  sulphurous  acid  in  the  presence  of  moisture  after  the 
combustion  of  the  sulphur  in  the  process  of  disinfection. 

As  being  closely  connected  with  these  subjects,  we  also  include  in  this 
report  the  following  statement  of  the  physical  changes  which  sulphur 

1  By  W.  H.  Kent,  Ph.  D.,  chemist  to  the  the  Brooklyn  Health  Department. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  69 

undergoes  in  the  process  of  combustion.     This  we  quote  from  Lunge's 
standard  work  on  the  "  Manufacture  of  Sulphuric  Acid  :" 

Sulphur  melts  at  111.50  C.  (232. 70  F.),  and  forms  a  thin  light  yellow  liquid,  which,  on 
being  more  strongly  heated,  becomes  darker  and  thicker;  at  2500  to  2600  C.  (48o°to  5000 
F.),  it  is  nearly  black,  and  so  viscid  that  it  does  not  run  out  when  the  vessel  is  upset ;  at 
a  still  higher  temperature  it  becomes  thinner  again,  keeping  its  brown  color ;  and  at 
4400  C.  (S240  F.)  it  boils,  forming  a  brownish  red  vapor  ;  but  it  begins  to  volatilize  before 
boiling. 

This  is  by  heating  out  of  contact  with  the  air.  When  heated  in  the 
air,  the  same  changes  take  place  until  the  temperature  of  combustion  is 
reached,  which,  according  to  Lunge,  is  2600  C.  (4S20  F.).  It  then  takes 
lire  and  burns  with  a  purplish  blue  flame,  forming  S02,  and  giving  out 
2,221  metrical  units  of  heat. 

In  consulting  the  literature  of  the  subject,  we  find  a  very  important 
article  on  the  "  Value  of  Sulphurous  Acid  as  a  Disinfecting  Agent,"  by 
Dr.  G.  WolfFhiigel,  which  in  this  connection  should  be  noticed.  Dr. 
WolrThiigel1  gives  experimental  work  on  the  following  questions: 

1.  How  may  the  requisite  amount  of  sulphurous  acid  be  with  safety 
produced  by  means  of  burning  sulphur  in  closed  rooms? 

2.  What  method  is  best  adapted  to  determine  the  amount  of  sulphur- 
ous acid  in  the  air,  and  the  amount  of  gas  taken  up  by  the  disinfected 
articles? 

3.  To  what  extent  does  the  sulphurous  acid  in  the  air  deviate  from  the 
amount  calculated  from  the  sulphur  burned?  What  are  the  causes  of 
this  deviation,  and  how  is  the  loss  to  be  limited? 

4.  Does  the  gas  formed  distribute  itself  uniformly  through  the  room, 
and  do  the  articles  in  the  room  take  up  a  large  amount  of  the  gas  formed? 

5.  Does  the  gas  leave  the'  disinfected  articles  uninjured,  or  are  they 
depreciated  in  value  by  treatment  with  sulphur? 

6.  What  concentration  of  the  gas  suffices  for  the  purposes,  and  what 
arrangement  of  the  experiment  is  necessary  to  guarantee  the  results  of 
disinfection? 

Following  this  article  in  the  same  publication  (pp.  234-2S2)  is  also  one 
by  Dr.  R.  Koch,  in  which,  in  connection  with  other  disinfectants,  he 
considers  the  amount  of  sulphurous  acid,  and  time  necessary  to  kill  cer- 
tain microscopic  organisms. 

With  this  mere  notice  of  the  nature  of  these  papers,  we  pass  to  a 
description  of  our  own  experiments. 

For  a  confined  space  in  which  to  burn  the  sulphur,  a  room  entirely 
enclosed  by  wood  was  at  first  used.  The  pine  boards  forming  the  walls, 
ceiling,  and  floor  were  generally  matched,  but  in  spite  of  continued  calk- 
ing with  rags,  its  condition,  as  to  tightness,  remained  unsatisfactory ; 
however,  three  experiments  with  burning  sulphur  were  performed,  and 
a  part  of  the  desired  results  obtained.  It  was  then  abandoned,  with  the 
idea  that  the  results,  witli  regard  to  the  amount  of  sulphur  which  it  is 
possible  to  burn  in  a  given  space,  would  be  of  no  value.     We  will  call 

1  Mittheilungen  aits  item  Kaiserlichcn  Gcsundheitsamte,  vol.  1,  pp.  188-233.     Berlin,  1S83. 


JO  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

this  room  Room  A,  and  the  small  bed-room,  with  plastered  walls,  which 
was  afterwards  used,  Roo?n  B.  Room  A  was  sixteen  and  one  half  feet 
long,  eight  and  one  third  feet  wide,  and  eleven  feet  high,  and  contained 
therefore  1,512.5  cubic  feet  (42,831.8  litres  or  42.S31S  cubic  metres). 
In  one  side  was  a  window  about  two  by  two  and  one  half  feet ;  in  the 
adjacent  side  nearer  the  floor  was  also  a  single  pane  of  glass  about  eight 
by  ten  inches. 

Experiment  No.  7,  Room  A.— '-In  a  large  tin  pan  holding  about  twelve 
quarts  (ordinarily  known  as  a  dish-pan)  was  placed  an  iron  kettle  hold- 
ing five  and  one  half  quarts,  and  supported  in  the  pan  by  an  earthen 
plate  ;  in  the  kettle  were  placed  six  pounds  of  broken  brimstone  and 
flowers  of  sulphur,  and  surrounding  it,  in  the  pan,  were  8  litres  (about  8 
quarts)  of  water.  The  kettle  stood  in  the  water  therefore  to  the  extent 
of  about  half  its  height.  In  the  water  was  placed  a  maximum  and  mini- 
mum thermometer.  Before  the  larger  window  was  suspended  in  the 
room  one  wire  fly-trap  with  about  a  dozen  flies,  another  with  six  or  eight 
ants,  and  another  with  half  a  dozen  croton  bugs  ( Ectobia  Germanica). 
The  fly-traps  used  in  these  experiments  were  made  of  tinned  wire, — those 
painted  with  Paris  green  being  in  all  cases  avoided.  There  was  also  a 
thermometer  so  hung  inside  the  room  by  the  window  as  to  show  the 
temperature  of  the  room  from  outside.  Suspended  on  a  line  in  about  the 
centre  of  the  room  were  one  hundred  and  sixteen  samples  of  various 
kinds  of  cloth,  the  coloring  matters  of  which  had  been  determined  by 
Dr.  O.  Grothe.     The  samples  consisted  of, — 

Eighteen  samples  of  all  wool  dress  goods  (Sicilian  cord)  dyed  with 
various  combinations  of  logwood  black,  logwood  brown,  picric  acid, 
indigo  carmine,  and  Bordeaux. 

Eight  samples  of  silk  dress  goods  (silk  cord),  which  were  also  vari- 
ously dyed  with  Bismarck  brown,  nigrosine,  alkali  blue  2  B,  Bordeaux, 
tropaeline  3  O  No.  2,  and  roacelline. 

Eleven  samples  of  domestic  calicoes  printed  in  many  figures  with 
catechu  brown,  logwood  black,  logwood  blue,  alizarine  red,  aniline 
yellow,  and  aniline  blue. 

Twelve  samples  of  French  satins  also  printed  with  aniline  black,  ani- 
line yellow,  alizarine  red,  indigo,  logwood  black,  fiset  wood,  eosine, 
nigrosine,  Bordeaux,  and  alkali  blue. 

Twenty-four  samples  of  Scotch  gingham  colored  with  different  com- 
binations of  Bismarck  brown,  logwood  black,  logwood  blue,  logwood 
brown,  indigo,  aniline  blue,  aniline  yellow,  alizarine  red,  alizarine  rosa 
(tin  salts),  catechu  brown,  tropaeline  O  (chrysoine),  turmeric,  tropaeline 
O  4,  fiset  wood,  and  vesuvine. 

Twenty-four  samples  of  domestic  cambrics  variously  printed  with  ani- 
line blue,  aniline  yellow,  logwood  black,  logwood  blue,  logwood  brown, 
alizarine  red,  catechu  brown,  indigo,  indigo  carmine,  naphthaline  yellow, 
induline,  and  wood  blue  with  chromine. 

Three  samples  of  oriental  flannels  dyed  with  induline,  malachite  green, 
and  Bordeaux. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  J I 

Sixteen  samples  domestic  flannels  dyed  with  Bordeaux,  Victoria  yellow, 
fuchsine,  methyl  violet,  logwood  black,  alizarine  red,  induline,  and  brill- 
iant blue  (alkali  blue  5  B).  Duplicate  samples  of  each  of  these  were 
retained  for  comparison  afterward.  Those  exposed  to  the  sulphur  fumes 
were  numbered  the  same  as  the  original,  and  with  the  additional  mark  of 
the  letter  x. 

The  sulphur  was  ignited  with  burning  alcohol,  and  the  room  closed  as 
soon  as  possible. 

The  time  necessary  for  killing  the  insects,  as  observed  from  the  win- 
dow outside,  was  as  follows  : 

All  flies  were  dead  in  22  minutes  ;  all  ants  were  dead  in  24  minutes  ; 
all  croton  bugs  were  dead  in  25  minutes. 

The  temperature  of  the  room  as  noted  each  half  hour  was  as  follows  : 

10:  35  a.  If.,  yf  F. — at  beginning. 
11:05     «       85^  «    J 

The  room  became  cloudy  with  smoke  so  that  the  burning 
sulphur  could  not  at  all  times  be  seen. 

— Saw  the  flame  for  the  last  time. 


"=35 

M 

91°  - 

12:05  i 

?.   M 

.  94°  " 

12:35 

<t ' 

960  " 

1:05 

«« 

97°  - 

1=35 

" 

95°  " 

2:05 

" 

93°  " 

2:3s 

14 

900  " 

3^5 

M 

890  " 

3:35 

t< 

89°  " 

4:05 

<« 

88°  " 

4  =  35 

" 

88°  " 

5:°5 

* 

8?o   u 

5  =  35 

U 

86°  " 

6:20 

<< 

85°" 

At  8 :  30  p.  If.  the  room  was  opened. 

Of  the  6  lbs.  of  sulphur  introduced,  5  lbs.  and  9  oz.  were  burned  ;  the 
remaining  7  oz.  consisted  of  sulphur,  sulphide  of  iron,  and  impurities. 
Owing  to  the  reduction  of  temperature,  it  would  not  in  any  case  be 
expected  that  the  sulphur  would  be  completely  consumed. 

Of  the  8  litres  of  water  introduced  in  the  pan,  6.39  litres  remained  ; 
1 .61  litre  was,  therefore,  evaporated.  The  temperature  of  the  water, 
which  at  the  beginning  was  71  °  F.,  had  risen  to  1580  F. 

The  samples  of  cloth  were  then  arranged  in  series  by  the  side  of  the 
original,  and  exhibited  to  a  number  of  persons,  some  of  whom  were 
experienced  dry  goods  salesmen,  and  were  really  experts  in  judging  the 
qualities  of  fabrics.  The  general  opinion  was  that  as  to  strength  of  fibre, 
no  change  in  any  case  could  be  discerned  ;  that  as  to  color,  one  sample  of 
Sicilian  cord,  colored  with  indigo  and  induline,  and  one  sample  of  domes- 
tic flannel,  colored  with  brilliant  blue  (alkali  blue  5  B),  were  very  slightly 
faded  ;  that  one  sample  of  oriental  flannel,  colored  with  malachite  green, 
was  not  quite  so  bright ;  that  one  sample  of  oriental  flannel  and  one 
sample  of  domestic  flannel,  each  colored  with  induline,  were  somewhat 
faded  ;  that  with  the  remaining  one  hundred  and  eleven  samples  there 
was  no  perceptible  change.      It  is  also  observed  that  among  the  flannels 


J  2  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

only  two  were  colored  with  induline,  and  that  these,  as  above  expressed, 
were  the  most  affected,  and  that  the  only  piece  of  woollen  dress  goods 
which  contained  induline  was  the  one  which  was  very  slightly  faded. 

Experiinent  No.  2,  Room  A. —  In  this  experiment  an  attempt  was 
made  to  reach  the  limit  of  sulphur  which  might  be  burned  in  the  room. 
Thirty-two  lbs.  5  oz.  of  sulphur  were  placed  in  two  kettles  ; — one  kettle, 
with  16  lbs.  4  oz.  placed  in  the  tin  pan  as  before,  was  surrounded  with  8 
litres  of  water ;  the  other,  with  16  lbs.  1  oz.,  was  placed  in  a  wooden  tub, 
and  around  it  were  25  litres  of  water.  In  each  case  fully  one  half  of  the 
kettle  stood  below  the  surface  of  the  water.  There  was  also  suspended 
in  the  room,  the  same  as  before,  a  set  of  samples  of  the  same  fabrics  from 
which  those  before  used  were  taken,  numbered  the  same,  and  for  distinc- 
tion marked  with  the  letter  Y.  The  thermometer  was  also  hung  before 
the  window,  the  sulphur  ignited  with  alcohol,  and  the  room  closed  as 
before.     The  temperature  was  as  follows  : 


1  :  00  P.  M. 

,  122°  F. 

1:30 

" 

124°  " 

2:00 

" 

124°  " 

2:30 

<i 

126°  « 

3:00 

ti 

129°  " 

3-3° 

i« 

I3Io  ,. 

4:00 

" 

I3I0  "- 

4-3° 

11 

130°  " 

5:00 

" 

128°  " 

5:3o 

" 

121°  " 

6:00 

u 

II5°  « 

6:30 

" 

109°  " 

-Maximum  =  55°  C. 


At  9  P.  m.  the  sulphur  ceased  burning. 

On  the  following  day  the  room  was  opened.  The  sulphur  fumes  had 
escaped  so  that  it  could  be  entered  immediately.  Of  the  16  lbs.  4  oz. 
sulphur  placed  in  one  kettle,  6  oz.  remained,  and  of  the  16  lbs.  1  oz. 
placed  in  the  other,  9  oz.  remained,  or  of  the  32  lbs.  5  oz.,  31  lbs.  6  oz. 
were  burned  ;  the  remaining  15  oz.  consisted  of  sulphide  of  iron,  sulphur, 
and  impurities. 

,  Since  the  room  contained  about  1,500  cubic  feet,  the  amount  burned 
was  nearly  21  lbs.  per  1,000  feet. 

The  water  surrounding  the  kettle  was  found  to  contain  much  sulphuric 
acid.  From  the  following  calculation  it  is  concluded  that  the  amount 
burned  was  largely  in  excess  of  what  was  necessary  to  consume  the 
oxygen  of  the  air,  and  as  the  sulphur  was  practically  all  consumed,  the 
room  must  be  considered  as  not  sufficiently  tight  for  the  experiment. 

The  Amount  of  Sulphur  Necessary  to  Completely  Consume  the 
Oxygen  in  1^000  Cubic  Feet  of  Air. — Since  the  atomic  weight  of  S  is 
32,  and  that  of  O  is  16  (one  half  that  of  S),  and  since  by  burning  sulphur 
S02is  formed,  a  compound  with  one  atom  of  S  and  two  of  O,  the  weight 
of  sulphur  in  S02  is  just  equal  to  the  weight  of  oxygen  ;  so  the  amount  of 
sulphur  necessary  to  completely  burn  the  oxygen  of  the  air  is  equal  to  the 
weight  of  the  oxygen  in  the  air.  * 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  7$ 

One  litre  of  air  at  0°C  weighs  14.43  criths  (Cooke),  or  as  one 
crithz=.oS96  gramme,  one  litre  of  air  weighs  1.2929  gramme.  At 
55°C,  the  temperature  to  which  the  air  was  heated  by  the  burning  sul- 
phur, one  litre  =  iJ,S,5}~  1.0762  gramme.  One  cubic  foot  =  28.3i8 
litres,  or  1,000  cubic  feet  =  2S,3iS  litres.  In  1,000  cubic  feet  there  are 
therefore  30.475.8  grammes,  or  67.1S6  pounds  of  air.  As  23.185  per 
cent,  of  the  air  is  oxygen,  the  amount  of  oxygen  in  1,000  cubic  feet  is 
67.186X23.185  =  15.577  lbs.;  or,  in  accordance  with  the  above,  1,000 
cubic  feet  of  air  would  need  for  the  complete  burning  of  the  oxygen 
15.577  lbs.  of  sulphur.  Of  course  the  low  temperature  and  the  highly 
diluted  form  the  oxygen  attains  would  both  tend  in  practice  greatly  to 
reduce  this  amount. 

Vallin1  states  that,  experimentally,  M.  Marty  was  able  to  burn  only 
68  grammes  per  cubic  metre,  or  about  4.2  lbs.  per  1,000  cubic  feet,  and 
that  Czernicki  was  able  to  burn  in  a  large  room  300  grammes  per  cubic 
metre,  or  18.7  lbs.  per  1,000  cubic  feet.  The  room  in  the  latter  case 
was  undoubtedly  not  tightly  closed,  as  a  comparison  of  his  results  with 
the  theoretical  amount  will  show.  As  to  the  effects  on  the  fabrics  in  this 
experiment,  no  difference  could  be  noticed  from  that  of  the  experiment 
before  given.  The  samples  of  cloth  in  both  experiments  are  arranged  in 
convenient  form  with  those  of  the  original,  and  may  be  examined  at  the 
office  of  the  Department  of  Health  in  Brooklyn. 

Experiment  No.  J,  Room  A. — It  having  been  asserted  that  burning 
sulphur  is  not  always  effective  in  killing  insects,  and  especially  flies  on 
the  ceiling,  another  experiment  was  made  to  ascertain  with  more  cer- 
tainty whether  flies  are  killed  uniformly  throughout  the  room  where  the 
usual  amount  of  3  lbs.  of  sulphur  per  1,000  cubic  feet  is  burned.  To 
this  end  a  window  was  placed  next  the  ceiling  by  the  upper  front  left 
corner  of  the  room,  and  another  by  the  diagonal  corner  of  the  left  side 
next  the  floor.  A  fly-trap  with  a  number  of  flies  was  placed  by  each 
window  next  the  ceiling  and  floor.  Flies  in  traps  were  also  placed  at 
the  upper  back  right  corner  and  on  the  floor  by  the  diagonal  corner  of 
the  right  side  ;  one  was  also  placed  on  the  centre  of  the  floor,  and  another 
on  the  centre  of  the  ceiling,  and  one  by  the  window  in  the  centre  of  the 
left  side.  There  were  also  a  number  of  flies,  perhaps  fifty,  confined 
loose  in  the  room,  going  where  they  chose.  An  iron  kettle,  with  4  lbs. 
and  9  oz.  of  sulphur,  was  placed  in  water  in  the  large  pan,  the  sulphur 
ignited,  and  the  room  closed  as  before.  The  flies  next  the  ceiling,  as 
observed  from  the  window  at  the  upper  front  left  hand  corner,  were  all 
dead  in  twenty-three  minutes  ;  those  by  the  large  window  on  the  left  side 
also  in  twenty-three  minutes;  those  on  the  floor  at  the  back  left  hand 
corner  were  dead  in  fifty  minutes ;  while  some  of  the  flies  loose  in  the 
room,  that  had  collected  mostly  by  the  small  window  in  front,  near  the 
floor,  lived  for  one  hour  and  forty-five  minutes. 

The  sulphur  fumes,  being  heated,  evidently  rose  at  first  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  room.     The  room  was  then  immediately  opened,  the  sulphur 

lu  Traits  des  Disinfectants, ''  p.  24-5. 


74  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

extinguished,  and  as  soon  as  the  room  could  be  entered  it  was  found  that 
in  all  portions  of  the  room  which  could  not  be  seen  from  the  windows 
all  flies  were  dead.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  when  the  flies  are 
simply  confined  in  a  room  not  especially  tight,  they  were  able  by  the 
greater  liberty  afforded  them  to  withstand  the  action  of  the  sulphur  fumes 
much  longer  than  when  confined  to  a  particular  locality  in  traps.  By 
weighing  the  kettle  and  the  remaining  sulphur,  it  was  found  that  four 
pounds  of  sulphur  were  burned. 

Experiment  No.  4,  Room  B. — This  room,  provided  with  an  ordinary 
window  and  door,  measured  as  follows  :  8  ft.  2  in.  long,  6  ft.  2  in.  wide, 
and  7  ft.  7  in.  high,  containing,  therefore,  375  cubic  feet.  All  crevices 
were  thoroughly  calked.  In  an  iron  pot  was  placed  16  lbs.  3  oz.  sul- 
phur. This  was  placed  in  the  above  described  tin  pan,  and  surrounded 
by  nearly  10  litres  of  water.  A  maximum  and  minimum  thermometer 
was  hung  on  the  wall,  showing  a  temperature  at  the  beginning  of  760  F. 
In  order  to  ascertain  whether  sulphuric  acid  would  be  formed,  and 
whether  the  cloud  of  smoke  arising  from  burning  sulphur  was  due  to  the 
formation  of  this  acid,  or  to  sublimed  sulphur,  or  both,  a  pane  of  glass 
7  by  12  inches  was  thoroughly  cleaned,  wiped  dry  with  a  clean  cloth, 
and  supported  horizontally  in  the  middle  of  the  room  by  a  clean  glass 
support.  The  sulphur  was  ignited,  the  door  thoroughly  calked,  and,  it 
being  Saturday  p.  m.,  it  was  left  to  take  its  course.  The  sulphur  con- 
tinued to  burn  for  about  twelve  hours.  When  opened  on  Monday  the 
atmosphere  was  not  endurable.  The  temperature  of  the  room  had  risen 
to  1220  F.  (500  C),  as  shown  by  the  maximum  thermometer.  Of  the 
16  lbs.  3  oz.  sulphur  introduced,  2  lbs.  2  oz.  had  been  burned,  or  at  the 
rate  of  5^3  lbs.  per  1,000  cubic  feet.  The  pane  of  glass  was  found  to  be 
covered  with  a  fine,  dew-like  deposit,  and  its  extremely  sour  taste  indi- 
cated that  it  must  contain  sulphuric  acid.  This  was  carefully  washed 
with  distilled  water  into  a  clean  flask.  The  washings  unmistakably  held 
sulphur  in  suspension.  The  amount  of  sulphur  deposited  on  the  pane  of 
glass  was  determined  after  filtering  from  the  H.2S04  solution  by  oxidizing 
with  nitric  acid,  precipitating  and  weighing  as  BaS04.  From  this  the 
amount  of  sulphur  deposited  on  the  glass  plate  was  found  to  be  .0014. 
gramme.  Since  the  surface  of  both  sides  of  the  glass  pane  was  168 
square  inches,  and  the  surface  of  the  ceiling  and  floor  14,504  square 
inches,  the  amount  of  sulphur  deposited  on  the  ceiling  and  floor  would 
be  .1208  gramme.  Assuming  that  it  would  be  deposited  on  the  walls 
at  the  same  rate,  which  may  not  be  entirely  the  case,  there  would  be 
deposited  on  the  walls,  ceiling,  and  floor  .3817  gramme,  or  5.88  grains 
of  sulphur.  This  amount,  though  not  large,  is  sufficient  to  account  for 
the  slightly  dingy  appearance  of  a  room  immediately  after  fumigation, 
and  in  part  also  for  the  cloud  of  smoke  that  arises  from  the  burning  sul- 
phur. The  sulphuric  acid  in  the  filtrate,  as  above  obtained,  was  precip- 
itated as  BaS04  after  the  addition  of  HC1  and  the  BaS04  filtered  and 
weighed.  The  H.2S04  calculated  therefrom  was  .0S48  gramme.  The 
amount  deposited  on  ceiling  and  floor,  as  calculated  from  this  amount 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  7$ 

deposited  on  the  pane  of  glass,  is  7.3210  grammes,  and  assuming  as 
above  that  it  would  be  deposited  at  the  same  rate  on  the  walls  of  the 
room,  there  would  have  been  formed  15.2  grammes  or  about  234  grains 
of  sulphuric  acid. 

Experiment  No.  3-,  Room  B. — It  being  sometimes  the  practice  to 
place  the  pot  of  sulphur  on  dry  ashes  instead  of  in  water,  the  question 
now  arises  as  to  whether  by  so  doing  there  is  the  same  amount  of  sul- 
phur burned,  and  also  whether  the  same  amount  and  relative  proportion 
of  sulphuric  acid  and  sulphur  are  set  free,  as  found  in  the  preceding  ex- 
periment. In  order  to  ascertain  these  points  the  following  experiment 
was  arranged  : 

The  large  tin  pan  heretofore  used  was  nearly  filled  with  ashes,  and 
placed  near  the  middle  of  the  room.  On  the  ashes  was  placed  an  iron 
kettle  with  8  lbs.  of  sulphur.  An  ordinary  pane  of  glass,  9  by  12  inches,, 
was  thoroughly  cleaned,  and  horizontally  supported  about  1 Y^  foot  from 
the  floor  with  a  clean  glass  support.  On  the  wall  was  also  a  maximum 
and  minimum  thermometer  showing  a  temperature  at  the  beginning  of 
the  experiment  of  8o°  F.  The  sulphur  was  ignited  with  burning  alcohol, 
and  the  room  thoroughly  closed.  On  opening  the  room  the  following 
day  all  smoke  had  subsided,  but  sulphur  fumes  were  so  strong  that  it 
could  not  be  immediately  entered.  By  weighing  the  pot  of  remaining 
sulphur  it  was  found  that  2  lbs.  7  oz.  had  been  consumed,  or  at  the  rate 
of  6%  lbs.  per  1,000  cubic  feet,  which,  as  will  be  noticed,  is  g  lb.  per 
1 ,000  cubic  feet  more  than  was  burned  when  the  kettle  was  placed  in 
water.  Of  course  this  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  water  takes  some  heat 
from  the  kettle  and  its  contents,  and  thereby  reduces  its  temperature. 
The  thermometer  on  the  wall  showed  a  minimum  temperature  of  730  F., 
and  a  maximum  temperature  of  ii3°F.  On  the  glass  plate  was  the 
same  dew-like  deposit  as  before,  but  showing  the  presence  of  sulphur 
much  more  distinctly.  The  deposit  was  carefully  removed  with  distilled 
water  to  a  glass  receptacle,  the  sulphur  filtered  therefrom,  oxidized  with 
nitric  acid,  and  precipitated  with  barium  chloride.  By  weighing  the 
precipitate  of  BaS04  and  calculating  the  sulphur,  it  was  found  that 
.0228  gramme  of  sulphur  had  been  deposited  on  the  glass  plate.  Cal- 
culating from  this,  the  amount  deposited  on  the  ceiling  and  floor  would 
be  1. 5310  gramme.  If  deposited  on  the  walls  at  the  same  rate  the 
entire  amount  formed  in  the  room  would  be  4.S352  grammes  (74.5 
grains) .  The  sulphuric  acid  in  the  filtrate  from  the  sulphur  thus  obtained 
was  precipitated  and  weighed  as  BaS04,  from  which  it  was  ascertained 
that  .1209  gramme  H2S04  had  been  deposited  on  the  plate,  or  8.1 145 
grammes  on  the  ceiling  and  floor.  Calculating  as  before,  the  total  amount 
deposited  in  the  room  would  be  25.6397  grammes,  or  394.85  grains. 

The  presence  of  sulphur  and  sulphuric  acid  as  found  in  these  experi- 
ments is  in  accordance  with  the  statements  of  Vallin  (pp.  243  and  245). 
He  terms  the  sulphur  thus  formed,  however,  sublimed  sulphur,  or  sul- 
phur vaporized  from  the  original  mass,  and  escaping  the  flame  without 
being  burned.     From  the  following  it  will  hardly  appear  that  it  is  sub- 


y6  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

limed  sulphur.  According  to  Richter  sulphurous  acid  in  aqueous  solution 
gradually  undergoes  the  following  reaction, — 3S02-|-2H20— 2H2S04-f-S, 
— from  which  we  would  see  that  sulphur  and  sulphuric  acid  are  formed 
by  the  action  of  sulphurous  acid  on  water,  and  in  the  proportion  of  196 
parts  of  sulphuric  acid  to  32  parts  of  sulphur.  The  conditions  in  the 
case  of  burning  sulphur  for  disinfecting  purposes  differ  from  these  only 
in  this,  that  the  sulphurous  acid  and  water  are  in  the  gaseous  form. 
The  relation  of  the  amount  of  sulphuric  acid  and  sulphur  deposited  on 
the  glass  plates  in  these  experiments  may  be  taken  as  approximately 
expressing  the  relation  of  the  total  amounts  formed,  and  this  relation  is 
sufficiently  near  that  of  196  to  32  to  make  it  probable  that  it  is  formed, 
mostly  at  least,  from  the  decomposition  of  sulphurous  acid. 

Another  point  of  chemical  interest,  and  which  may  have  some  prac- 
tical bearing  in  this  connection,  is  the  fact  that  much  more  sulphur  and 
sulphuric  acid  are  formed  when  ashes  are  used  than  when  the  receptacle 
for  the  burning  sulphur  stands  in  water.  In  all  those  cases  where  the 
burning  sulphur  was  surrounded  by  water,  it  has  been  observed  that  a 
considerable  amount  of  water  is  evaporated.  The  atmosphere  of  the 
room  must  therefore  be  charged  with  moisture. 

It  is  known  in  the  ordinary  method  of  making  sulphuric  acid  that  an 
excess  of  water  or  steam  interferes  with  the  oxidation  of  the  sulphurous 
acid  ;  and,  although  the  conditions  are  not  the  same  in  the  two  cases, 
the  results  above  obtained  show  a  resemblance  in  this  respect. 

As  to  the  amount  of  water  present  when  ashes  are  used,  we  know 
there  is  always  a  small  amount  of  moisture  in  ordinary  air,  and  that 
when  alcohol  is  used  to  ignite  the  sulphur  as  in  these  cases,  some  water  is 
formed  by  the  combustion  of  alcohol ;  so  it  is  apparent  that  there  is  a 
considerable  amount  of  water  present  to  carry  out  the  decomposition  of 
the  sulphurous  acid.  A  fact  of  ordinary  observation  in  a  chemical  lab- 
oratory is  that  a  solution  of  sulphurous  acid  in  water  only  very  gradually 
undergoes  decomposition,  and  that  even  in  the  presence  of  strong  light 
some  weeks  may  be  necessary  to  make  much  change.  This  would  cor- 
roborate the  conclusion  we  would  draw,  that  an  excess  of  water  inter- 
feres with  the  decomposition  of  sulphurous  acid  ;  that  if  the  presence  of 
sulphuric  acid  is  necessary  to  kill  the  organisms,  the  amount  may  be  in- 
creased by  avoiding  the  presence  of  too  much  water  ;  and  that  if  the  for- 
mation of  sulphuric  acid  is  to  be  avoided,  placing  the  receptacle  for  the 
sulphur  in  water  is  very  effective  to  that  end. 

The  Effect  of  Burning  Sulphur  on  the  Volume  of  Air  Co?tf7tcd. — 
By  burning  sulphur  in  hermetically  closed  places,  the  question  as  to 
whether  the  volume  will  become  changed  so  as  to  cause  an  injury  to  the 
walls,  or  possibly  an  explosion,  is  considered  as  follows : 

Since  by  the  consumption  of  the  02  of  the  air  S02  is  formed,  and  since 
to  form  one  molecule  of  S02  one  molecule  of  02  is  necessary,  we  have 
formed  according  to  the  equation,  S2-)-202=r:2S02,  as  many  molecules 
of  S02  as  is  consumed  of  02,  and  so,  according  to  Avogadro's  law,  the 
volume  of  S02  formed  is  equal  to  the  volume  of  02  consumed,  or,  in 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  J J 

other  words,  there  is  no  increase  or  decrease  in  the  volume  of  the  air 
except  that  which  comes  as  expansion  by  heat. 

It  being  very  seldom  that  perfectly  tight  compartments  are  found,  and 
as  gases  in  general  are  so  very  elastic,  the  amount  of  pressure  exerted  on 
the  walls  by  such  expansion  would  in  most  cases  be  insufficient  to  do 
any  damage. 


SULPHITES. 

BY   GEORGE    M.    STERNBERG. 

Sodium  Sulphite  and  Sodium  Hyposulphite. — My  experiments  made 
at  San  Francisco1  show  that  these  salts  in  concentrated  solution  have  no 
germicide  power.  The  micrococcus  of  pus  was  not  killed  by  exposure 
for  two  hours  to  a  32  per  cent,  solution,  and  a  saturated  solution  failed  to 
destroy  the  bacteria  in  broken-down  beef  tea.  Arloing,  Cornevin,  and 
Thomas  found  that  exposure  for  forty-eight  hours  to  a  50  per  cent, 
solution  of  sodium  hyposulphite  does  not  destroy  the  virus  of  sympto- 
matic anthrax.  It  is  evident,  from  the  experimental  evidence  on  record, 
that  these  salts  have  no  value,  either  as  germicides  or  as  antiseptics, 
except  i?t  the  presence  of  some  chemical  agent  which  will  liberate  the 
sulphurous  acid. 

Bisulphite  of  Lime,  Bisulphite  of  Zinc,  Bisulphite  of  Soda,  Ter- 
sulphite  of  Aluminium. — A  manufacturing  chemist  of  New  York  sent 
ine,  last  spring,  samples  of  the  above  mentioned  salts  in  solution,  and  I 
made  a  number  of  tests  to  determine  their  comparative  germicide  power. 
The  results  obtained  indicate  that  their  value  as  disinfectants  depends 
upon  the  amount  of  sulphurous  acid  which  they  contain.  All  of  the 
solutions  gave  oft' sulphurous  acid  gas  constantly  when  not  kept  in  tightly 
corked  bottles ;  and,  in  adding  them  to  broken-down  beef  stock,  an 
abundant  liberation  of  this  gas  occurred. 

The  solution  of  bisulphite  of  lime  gave  the  best  results.  In  the  pro- 
portion of  5  per  cent,  this  destroyed  the  vitality  of  M.  tetragenus.  the 
test  organism  employed.  The  solution  of  bisulphite  of  zinc  and  tersul- 
phite  of  aluminium  failed  to  destroy  the  same  micrococcus  in  the  propor- 
tion of  5  per  cent.,  but  were  successful  in  10  per  cent.  The  solution  of 
bisulphite  of  soda  failed  upon  the  same  organism  in  10  per  cent.  I 
have  lost  my  memorandum  giving  the  specific  gravity  of  these  solutions, 
but  believe  them  to  have  been  saturated  solutions  of  the  salts  named. 


DRY  HEAT. 

BY   GEORGE    H.    ROHE. 


The  first  accurate  observations  on  the  disinfecting  power  of  dry  heat 
were  made  by  Henry,  of  Manchester,  in  1S31.2     Henry  exposed  (fresh?) 

^'American  Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences,"  April,  18S3. 
SE.  Vallin  :  "  Traite  des  Disinfectants,"  Paris,  1882,  p.  226. 


?8  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

vaccine  virus  to  temperatures  varying  from  500  to  820  Cent.  (i22°-i8o° 
Fahr.)  for  two,  three,  and  four  hours,  and  secured  complete  disinfection, 
none  of  the  specimens  of  vaccine  thus  exposed  producing  vaccinia  when 
subsequently  inoculated.  Exposure  for  three  hours  to  a  temperature  of 
490  C.  (i20°F.)  failed  to  disinfect.  No  control  experiments  with  non- 
disinfected  virus  were  made  by  this  observer. 

E.  B.  Baxter1  exposed  dry  vaccine  to  a  temperature  of  from  90°-95°  C. 
(i94°-203°  F.)  for  thirty  minutes.  Disinfection  was  complete.  Vac- 
cination with  disinfected  virus  was  unsuccessful.  Control  inoculations 
with  non-disinfected  virus  were  successful. 

Carstens  and  Coert  reported  to  the  International  Hygienic  Congress  of 
1879  (quoted  by  Vallin  in  the  above-mentioned  work)  the  following 
conclusions  : 

Fresh  animal  vaccine  heated  to  64. 50  C.  (1480  F.)  for  thirty  minutes  loses  its  virulence. 
Fresh  animal  vaccine  heated  to  520  C.  (1250  F.)  for  thirty  minutes  does  not  lose  its 
virulence.  The  maximum  degree  of  heat  to  which  fresh  vaccine  can  be  exposed  without 
losing  its  infectivity  probably  varies  between  520  and  540  C.  (i25°-i29°  F.). 

Davaine,  in  1873,  destroyed  the  virulence  of  fresh  anthrax  blood2  by 
exposing  it  to  temperatures  of  550  C.  (1310  F.)  for  five  minutes,  500  C. 
(1220  F.)  for  ten  minutes,  and  480  C.  (1180  F.)  for  fifteen  minutes. 

Werner,  in  1S79,  exposed  putrefactive  bacteria  on  pledgets  of  cotton, 
and  then  enveloped  in  dry  cotton  to  a  temperature  of  1250  C.  (2570  F.) 
for  one  hour,  and  secured  complete  disinfection. 

Wernich3  exposed  putrid  material  (containing  bacteria  of  putrefaction) 
to  temperatures  of  from  i25°-i5o°  C.  (257°-302°  F.)  for  five  minutes 
with  like  success. 

Schill  and  Fischer4  found  that  exposure  for  one  hour  to  a  temperature 
of  from  ioo°-i30°  C.  (2i2°-266°  F.)  destroyed  the  virulence  of  tuber- 
culous sputum,  as  tested  by  the  inoculation  of  rabbits  and  other  animals. 

Koch  and  WolfThiigel5  experimented  with  a  large  number  of  patho- 
genic and  non-pathogenic  organisms.  A  temperature  varying  from 
78°-i23°  C.  (i72°-253°  F.)  maintained  for  one  hour  and  a  half  (over 
2120  F.  for  an  hour)  sufficed  to  kill  micrococcus  prodigiosus  and  the 
bacilli  of  septicaemia  of  mice  and  rabbits,  but  failed  to  destroy  the  spores 
of  bacillus  anthracis,  and  of  various  non-pathogenic  bacteria  and  fungi. 

Micrococci  and  bacilli  containing  no  spores,  and  spores  of  mould 
fungi,  were  completely  killed  by  one  and  a  half  hour's  exposure  to  a  tem- 
perature of  from  i20°-i28°  C.  (248°-262°  F.)  ;  but  spores  of  B.subtilis, 
B.  anthracis,  and  of  a  bacillus  growing  upon  potato,  resisted  a  second 
heating  to  the  same  temperature  for  a  similar  length  of  time. 

These  authors  further  experimented  upon  a  number  of  organisms  dis- 
posed in  various  ways  in  the  disinfecting  chamber  so  as  to  approach  in 

1 "  Report  Medical  Officer  of  Privy  Council,"  etc.,  N.  S.,  No.  vi,  p.  216. 

2  Containing  bacilli,  but  no  spores. 

s"  Deutsche  Med.  Wochenschr.,"  1880,  p.  498. 

4 Mitt.  a.  d.  Kais.  Gesundheitsamte,  Bd.  II,  S.  134. 

6  Mitt.  a.  d.  Kais.  Gesundheitsamte,  Bd.  I. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  yg 

a  measure  the  conditions  of  practical  disinfection.  Some  of  the  articles 
were  placed  in  coat  pockets,  others  rolled  up  in  balls  of  cotton,  oakum, 
blankets,  or  soiled  clothing,  making  packages  of  different  thickness  and 
density.  The  organisms  consisted  of  micrococcus  prodigiosus,  micro- 
coccus of  blue  pus,  B.  anthracis,  and  bacilli  found  in  garden  soil. 
With  each  package  was  placed  a  registering  thermometer  to  indicate  the 
highest  temperature  reached  during  the  experiment.  The  temperature 
in  the  chamber  varied  from  1330  to  1560  C.  (27i°-3i3°  F.),  and  the  ex- 
posure was  continued  for  three  hours  and  ten  minutes.  The  tempera- 
ture in  the  different  packages  varied  from  74. 50  C.  (1670  F.)  to  121. 50 
C.  (25i°F.).  In  none  of  the  packages  were  the  spore-bearing  organ- 
isms destroyed.  In  a  small  iron  vessel  hanging  free  in  the  chamber,  and 
containing  specimens  of  the  same  organisms,  a  temperature  of  139. 50  C. 
(2S3°F.)  was  indicated  by  the  thermometer.  Here  complete  disinfec- 
tion had  taken  place. 

Another  series  of  observations,  with  the  temperature  in  the  chamber 
varying  from  I3i°-i40°  C.  (267°-284°  F.),  and  exposure  continuing  for 
three  hours,  resulted  as  follows :  The  organisms  (micrococcus  prodig- 
iosus, spores  of  B.  anthracis,  and  of  bacilli  of  garden  soil)  and  register- 
ing thermometers  were  enclosed  in  packages  of  clothing,  bedding,  and 
rolls  of  blankets.  Complete  destruction  of  the  spore-bearing  organisms 
did  not  follow  unless  the  temperature  of  1390  C.  (2820  F.)  had  been 
reached.  In  one  large  package  consisting  of  nineteen  blankets,  thor- 
oughly dried  and  rolled  up,  the  heat  did  not  penetrate  to  the  interior  in 
a  sufficiently  high  degree  to  destroy  the  vitality  of  micrococcus  prodig- 
iosus even. 

These  experiments  were  still  further  varied,  but  the  results  did  not 
differ  materially  from  those  already  given.  They  all  showed  the  great 
difficulty  of  penetration  of  thick  packages  of  fabrics  of  various  kinds  by  a 
sufficiently  high  temperature  to  produce  disinfection. 

A  large  number  of  fabrics  (linen,  silk,  cotton,  wool,  feathers,  paper, 
and  leather)  were  exposed  for  five  hours  to  a  temperature  of  from 
i5o°-i6o°  C.  (302°-32o°  F.)  with  the  result  of  producing  such  changes 
in  color  and  texture  of  most  of  them  as  to  render  them  useless. 

In  a  similar  series  of  experiments,  Ransom1  found  that  exposure  to  a 
temperature  of  from  24O°-25o0  F.  would  be  borne  by  clothing  materials 
without  injury.  Vallin2  states  that  cotton  and  wool  fabrics  do  not  change 
color  at  a  lower  temperature  than  1250  C.  (2530  F.),  which  corresponds 
closely  with  the  observations  of  Ransom. 

Koch  and  Wolffhugel8  submit  the  following  conclusions,  which  seem 
to  the  writer  to  be  fully  justified  by  the  results  of  their  own  and  other 
observations  here  collected : 

1.  A  temperature  of  ioo°  C.  (2120  F.,  dry  heat),  maintained  for  one  hour  and  a  half, 
will  destroy  bacteria  which  do  not  contain  spores. 

1  Practitioner,  1878,  p.  67. 

*  Op.  cit. 

8  Op.  cit.,  p.  231. 


80  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

2.  Spores  of  mould-fungi  require  for  their  destruction  in  hot  air  a  temperature  of  from 
uo°-ii5°  C.  (230°-239°  F.J  maintained  for  one  hour  and  a  half. 

3.  Bacillus  spores  recpuire  for  their  destruction  in  hot  air  a  temperature  of  1400  C.  (2840 
F.)  maintained  for  three  hours. 

4.  In  dry  air  the  heat  penetrates  objects  so  slowly  that  small  packages,  such  as  a  pil- 
low or  small  bundle  of  clothing,  are  not  disinfected  after  an  exposure  of  from  three  to 
four  hours  to  a  temperature  of  1400  C.  (2840  F.). 

5.  Exposure  to  a  temperature  of  1400  C.  (2840  F.)  in  dry  air  for  a  period  of  three  hours 
injures  most  objects  requiring  disinfection  (clothing,  bedding,  etc.)  to  a  greater  or  less 
degree. 


MOIST  HEAT. 

BY   GEORGE    M.    STERNBERG. 

Whenever  infectious  material  can  be  consumed  by  fire,  there  can  be 
no  question  as  to  the  efficiency  of  this  mode  of  disposing  of  it.  But  from 
the  experimental  data  given  in  the  preceding  paper,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  destruction  of  desiccated  spores  by  dry  heat  requires  a  temperature 
which  injures  textile  fabrics. 

It  is  quite  different  with  moist  heat,  and  in  steam,  at  a  temperature  of 
from  1050  to  no°  C.  (2210  to  2300  F.),  we  have  an  agent  which  quickly 
destroys  all  living  organisms,  including  the  most  refractory  spores. 

In  the  absence  of  spores,  all  known  micro-organisms  are  quickly 
destroyed  when  immersed  in  boiling  water.  Indeed,  a  temperature 
much  below  the  boiling-point  destroys  micrococci  and  bacilli  in  active 
growth.  Thus  I  have  fixed  the  thermal  death-point  of  the  micrococcus 
of  septicaemia  in  the  rabbit,  and  of  the  micrococcus  of  pus  (from  an  acute 
abscess),  at  1400  F.  (6o°  C),  the  time  of  exposure  being  ten  minutes. 
This  temperature  is  also  fatal  to  the  micrococcus  of  swine  plague.  The 
micrococcus  of  fowl  cholera  is  destroyed  by  exposure  for  fifteen  minutes 
to  a  temperature  of  I32°F.  (Salmon).  Nine  or  ten  minutes'  exposure  to 
a  temperature  of  540  C.  (129.20  F.)  is  sufficient  to  destroy  the  vitality  of 
anthrax  bacilli  in  blood  (Chauveau).  Davaine  has  shown,  that,  owing 
to  the  low  thermal  death-point  of  this  bacillus,  it  may  be  destroyed  in  an 
inoculation  wound  by  application  of  heated  metal  to  the  surface — hammer 
of  Mayor.  May  it  not  be  that  the  rationale  of  the  effect  of  poultices 
applied  "as  hot  as  can  be  borne"  to  furuncles,  acute  abscesses,  etc.,  is  to 
be  explained  in  the  same  way  ?  Or,  at  least,  if  a  temperature  sufficient 
to  destroy  the  vitality  of  micrococci  which  have  invaded  the  tissues  cannot 
be  borne,  is  it  not  probable  that  their  multiplication  maybe  prevented  by 
the  continued  application  of  a  bearable  temperature? 

The  resisting  power  of  spores  is  very  much  greater,  and  it  is  well 
known  that  the  spores  of  B.  subtilis  and  of  other  species  of  the  genus 
Bacillus  withstand  a  boiling  temperature  for  a  considerable  time.  My 
culture-fluids  have  frequently  "broken  down,"  on  account  of  the  presence 
of  the  spores  of  B.  subtilis  after  two  hours'  boiling,  and  to  insure  steril- 
ization I  am  in  the  habit  of  resorting  to  a  second  boiling  after  an  interval 


KEPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  8 1 

of  twelve  hours,  or  of  sterilizing  in  a  bath  containing  some  salt,  by  which 
a  higher  temperature  than  that  of  boiling  water  can  be  secured. 

A  temperature  of  five  degrees  Centigrade  (90  F.)  above  the  boiling 
point  quickly  destroys  the  most  refractory  spores.  I  have  recently  made 
numerous  experiments  upon  the  spores  of  B.  anthracis  and  B.  subtilis, 
which  show  that  the  former  has  less  resisting  power  than  the  latter,  but 
that  both  are  destroyed  with  a  temperature  of  1050  C.  maintained  for  ten 
minutes.  The  same  temperature  failed  to  destroy  the  developing  power 
of  the  spores  of  B.  subtilis  in  five  minutes,  while  two  minutes'  exposure 
destroyed  the  vitality  of  anthrax  spores. 

These  results  are  in  accord  with  those  of  Koch,  Gaffky,  and  LoefBer,1 
who  found,  as  the  result  of  numerous  experiments,  that  when  a  tempera- 
ture of  1050  and  upward  was  maintained  for  ten  minutes,  all  spores  were 
destroyed,  as  shown  by  their  failure  to  develop  in  culture-solutions. 
Where  a  temperature  of  1  xo°  C.  was  reached,  the  experiment  could  be 
stopped,  as  no  spores  were  capable  of  germinating  after  exposure  to  this 
temperature.  Exposure  to  a  temperature  of  ioo°  to  1050  C.  for  twenty 
or  thirty  minutes  was  fatal  to  anthrax  spores,  but  those  of  a  certain  short 
and  thick  bacillus  found  in  garden  soil  were  only  killed  when  the  tem- 
perature was  maintained  at  1050  for  twenty  minutes. 

The  question  as  to  the  practicability  of  destroying  spores  in  the  interior 
of  packages, — rolls  of  blankets,  etc., — has  received  the  attention  of  the 
experimenters  last  mentioned,  and  will  doubtless  be  considered  by  my 
colleagues  of  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants,  whose  province  it  is  to 
take  account  of  the  various  points  which  may  arise  relating  to  the  prac- 
tical use  of  approved  disinfecting  agents. 

From  the  experimental  evidence  presented,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the 
temperature  of  boiling  water  will  quickly  destroy  the  vitality  of  all  micro- 
organisms of  the  class  to  which  known  disease  germs  belong,  in  the 
absence  of  spores. 

Steam  at  a  temperature  of  1  io°  C.  (2300  F.)  maintained  for  one  or  two 
minutes,  or  of  io5°C.  (22i°F.)  maintained  for  ten  minutes,  will  infallibly 
destroy  the  spores  of  bacilli,  which  constitute  the  most  difficult  test  of 
disinfecting  power  known. 

Note. —  I  desire  to  call  attention  to  the  close  correspondence  between  the  thermal 
death-point  of  micrococci  as  fixed  by  my  experiments,  viz.,  1400  F.  for  ten  minutes,  and 
the  results  obtained  by  the  authors  quoted  by  Dr.  Rohe  in  the  preceding  paper,  in  the 
disinfection — i.e.,  destruction  of  specific  infecting  power — of  fresh  vaccine  virus  by.similar 
low  temperatures.  Certainly  this  correspondence  gives  some  support  to  the  supposition 
that  infective  virulence  is  due  to  the  presence  of  the  micrococcus  found  in  vaccine  lymph, 
although  the  etiological  role  of  this  micrococcus  has  never  been  demonstrated  by  success- 
ful inoculations  with  pure  cultures. 

1(1  Mitt.  a.  d.  Kaiserlichen  Gesundheitsamte,"  vol.  1,  pp.  322-340. 


$2  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

ON  THE  DISINFECTANT  PROPERTIES  OF  PUTREFACTIVE  PRODUCTS. 

BY   CHARLES   SMART. 

It  is  well  known  that  when  a  saccharine  liquid  undergoing  fermenta- 
tion has  attained  a  certain  alcoholic  strength,  the  further  growth  of  the 
yeast  plant  is  prevented  by  the  action  of  its  alcoholic  product.  It  is, 
perhaps,  equally  well  known,  that  an  inhibition  of  the  acetous  fermenta- 
tion takes  place  when  the  liquid  has  reached  a  certain  percentage  of 
acetic  acidity.  But  it  is  not  so  generally  known  that  the  bacteria  of 
putrefaction  elaborate,  as  products  of  their  vital  action,  organic  substances 
that  are  destructive  to  the  organisms  which  determined  their  formation. 
The  ultimate  products  in  the  retrogression  of  albuminous  matters  by  bac- 
terial or  putrefactive  agency  are  ammonia  and  carbonic  acid  ;  but  a  vast 
number  of  complex  organic  substances,  concerning  which  our  knowledge 
is  meagre,  constitute  intermediate  steps  in  the  process.  One  of  these, 
phenol,  or  carbolic  acid,  was  at  the  time  of  its  discovery  as  a  product  of 
putrefaction  already  well  known  as  an  antiseptic  and  probable  disinfect- 
ant. Recently  E.  and  H.  Salkowski  separated  from  these  intermediate 
products  two  aromatic  acids  of  the  acetic  series,  hydrocinnamic  or 
phenyl-propionic  and  phenyl-acetic  acid. 

Wernich1  submitted  these  to  experiment,  and  found  that  as  antiseptics 
they  were  superior  to  carbolic  acid,  the  phenyl-propionic  acid  being  the 
more  active  of  the  two.  Klein2  followed  up  these  researches  by  an 
inquiry  into  their  germicidal  value.  Some  of  his  experiments  bear  with 
greater  interest  on  the  life  history  of  the  organisms  subjected  to  the  influ- 
ence of  the  acids  than  on  the  germicidal  value  of  the  latter ;  but,  to  com- 
plete this  series  of  papers,  it  has  been  deemed  advisable  to  submit  a 
summary  of  his  results. 

This  able  experimenter  recognized  the  difference  between  antisepsis 
and  disinfection  that  has  been  insisted  upon  in  the  reports  of  this  com- 
mittee. He  exposed  the  organisms  that  were  the  subject  of  the  experi- 
ment to  the  action  of  the  acids,  and  then  introduced  them  into  a  suitable 
culture-medium  ;  or,  if  they  were  of  a  pathogenic  nature,  inoculated 
animals  with  them, — a  failure  to  cultivate,  or  a  failure  to  reproduce  the 
disease  being  respectively  in  each  case  the  test  of  a  germicidal  or  truly 
disinfectant  action. 

The  non-specific  organisms  subjected  to  experiment  were  a  small 
micrococcus  derived  from  the  blood  of  rabbits,  a  large  micrococcus  of 
similar  derivation,  bacterium  termo  and  Bacillus  subtilis.  An  exposure 
of  twenty  or  twenty-five  minutes  in  a  solution  of  either  acid  of  the 
strength  i  :  200,  failed  to  destroy  the  vitality  of  any  of  these  specimens  ; 
the  last  mentioned,  indeed,  was  not  destroyed  by  an  exposure  of  twenty- 
four  hours. 

The  pathogenic  matters  treated  were  the  spores  and  bacilli  of  anthrax, 
the  virus  of  swine-plague,  and  that  of  tuberculosis. 

1<(  Virchow's  Archiv,"  vol.  78,  p.  51. 

2 "Supplement  to  Thirteenth  Annual  Report  of  Local  Government  Board,"  London,  1884,  p.  in. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  83 

Anthrax  spores,  exposed  for  two  or  more  days  in  either  acid  of  the 
strength  1  :  400,  were  found  to  have  retained  their  virulence  when  sub- 
sequently infected  into  guinea-pigs,  and  to  be  susceptible  of  cultivation 
in  culture-liquids,  with  the  retention  of  virulence  in  their  progeny.  But, 
although  the  spores  withstood  the  influence  of  the  acids,  the  bacilli  of 
anthrax  were  killed  immediately,  or  as  soon  as  they  were  thoroughly 
mixed  with  this  strength  of  either  of  the  acids.  The  phenyl-propionic 
acid,  however,  was  manifestly  more  efficient,  for  a  dilution  of  1  :  800 
destroyed  the  bacilli  in  ten  minutes,  while  the  phenyl-acetic  acid  under 
similar  conditions  failed  to  accomplish  disinfection.  Greater  dilutions 
required  a  longer  period  to  effect  the  destruction  of  the  bacilli,  and  in  all 
instances  the  phenyl-propionic  acid  showed  the  greater  potency.  Thus, 
while  this  acid,  in  the  strength  1  :  3,200,  required  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty-five  minutes  to  be  effective,  the  phenyl-acetic  acid  of  the  same 
strength  required  fully  thirty-five  minutes. 

Several  other  points  of  interest  were  developed.  It  was  noted  that  in 
greater  dilutions  than  1  :  400  of  either  acid,  a  stronger  solution  or  a  longer 
exposure  was  required  to  kill  bacilli  grown  from  a  previous  culture  con- 
taining spores  than  those  from  a  culture  started  from  blood  bacilli.  It 
was  observed  further  that  bacilli  cultivated  from  bacilli  of  the  blood  have 
a  greater  resistance  than  the  latter,  so  far  as  these  acids  are  concerned, 
for  the  first  week  or  ten  days  of  the  cultivation,  but  that  after  this  their 
power  of  resistance  decreases,  so  that  ultimately  it  becomes  even  less 
than  that  of  the  original  blood  bacillus.  The  fact  was  also  shown  that 
bacilli  in  the  blood  of  a  guinea-pig  dead  from  inoculation  with  spores 
have  a  greater  resistance  to  the  influence  of  the  acid  than  those  from  an 
animal  dead  from  inoculation  with  bacilli. 

The  virulence  of  swine-plague,  taken  directly  from  an  animal  dead  of 
the  disease,  and  also  that  of  the  artificially  cultivated  microbe,  were 
destroyed  by  an  exposure  of  twenty  or  twenty-five  minutes  to  a  phenyl- 
propionic  solution  of  the  strength  1  :  800  ;  weaker  solutions  were  not  effi- 
cient, and  the  disinfectant  action  of  the  phenyl-acetic  acid  of  this  strength 
was  not  certain. 

The  tubercular  virus,  like  the  spores  of  anthrax,  resisted  the  influence 
of  these  acids.  An  exposure  of  ninety-six  hours  to  a  strength  1  :  200  did 
not  prevent  the  caseous  matter  of  pulmonary  tuberculosis  from  producing 
its  characteristic  effects  when  injected  into  a  guinea-pig.  But  consider- 
ably stronger  solutions  showed  the  exercise  of  an  inhibitory  power. 
Bovine  virus  manifested  a  greater  resistance  against  the  influence  of  the 
acids  than  the  tuberculous  virus  of  man. 


PRACTICAL  EXPERIMENTS  ON  THE  STERILIZATION  OF  FECES. 

BY   GEORGE    M.    STERNBERG. 

In  the  experimental  researches  heretofore  recorded   in  this   series  of 
papers,  the  germicidal  value  of  various  chemical  reagents  has  been  estab- 


84  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

lished  by  biological  tests  made  with  pure  cultures  of  various  micro- 
organisms, or  with  ""broken-down"  beef  tea.  The  latter  test  I  consider 
the  most  difficult,  as  the  putrid  beef  tea,  after  having  been  exposed  in 
the  laboratory  for  several  days,  contains  a  variety  of  micro-organisms, 
including  several  species  of  bacilli,  especially  B.  subtilis,  the  spores  of 
which  have  an  extreme  resistance.  The  results  obtained  in  these  exper- 
iments may  therefore  be  safely  used  as  a  basis  for  determining  the  quan- 
tity of  the  chemical  agents  tested  which  will  be  necessary  to  sterilize 
fluids  containing  micro-organisms,  when  these  fluids  can  be  fairly  com- 
pared with  the  putrid  beef  solution  used  in  our  experiments — due  allow- 
ance being  made  on  the  side  of  safety  when  practical  recommendations 
are  to  be  made.  The  liquid  discharges  from  the  bowels  of  patients  with 
cholera,  typhoid  fever,  advanced  tuberculosis,  septic  diarrhoea,  etc.,  may 
be  fairly  compared  with  our  broken-down  beef  tea,  as  regards  physical 
and  biological  characters  ;  and  I  should  say,  in  general,  that  it  would  be 
within  the  limits  of  safety  to  prescribe  twice  the  quantity  of  a  given 
agent,  for  the  disinfection  of  such  material,  that  has  been  found  necessary 
to  sterilize  the  same  amount  of  putrid  beef  stock. 

But  when  we  have  to  deal  with  formed  or  semi-solid  fecal  matter,  the 
conditions  are  very  different,  and  the  data  obtained  in  our  experiments 
upon  fluid  material  cannot  be  applied  without  making  proper  allowance 
for  the  larger  amount  of  organic  material  associated  with  the  germs 
which  are  to  be  destroyed,  and  for  the  fact  that  germs  enclosed  in 
masses  of  albuminous  material  maybe  protected  from  the  action  of  the 
disinfecting  agent.  Especial  care  will  be  required  in  the  practical  use 
of  the  oxidizing  disinfectants,  such  as  potassium  permanganate  and  the 
hypochlorites  of  lime  and  of  soda.  These  agents  owe  their  power  to  the 
fact  that  they  are  promptly  decomposed  by  contact  with  organic  matter, 
but  this  decomposition  is  entirely  a  chemical  reaction,  and  only  a  given 
amount  of  organic  material  can  be  oxidized  by  a  given  quantity  of  the 
oxidizing  agent ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  disinfecting  power  of  such  agents 
is  neutralized  by  a  given  quantity  of  organic  material,  whether  this  is  in 
the  form  of  living  micro-organisms,  or  of  dead  animal  or  vegetable 
matter.  If,  then,  the  organic  material  is  in  excess,  germs  embedded  in 
it  will  escape  destruction,  and  the  only  safe  rule  in  the  practical  use  of 
oxidizing  disinfectants  is  to  use  such  a  quantity  of  the  disinfecting 
agent  that  it  shall  be  in  excess  after  the  reaction  has  taken  place. 

The  following  experiments  have  been  made  for  the  purpose  of  deter- 
mining within  the  limits  necessary  for  practical  purposes  the  quantity  of 
the  disinfecting  solutions  heretofore  recommended  by  the  Committee  on 
Disinfectants  required  to  sterilize  a  given  quantity  of  feces  (normal). 

Standard  Solution  of  Chloride  of  Lime} 
August  25. — Four  ounces  of  semi-solid  feces  added  to  one  pint  of  this 
solution,  available  chlorine  0.65  per  cent.     At  the  end  of  twenty-four 
hours  no  chlorine  remained  in  the  mixture,  and  two  culture-flasks  inocu- 
lated with  the  material  broke  down — failure  to  sterilize. 

1  Containing  four  ounces  of  chloride  of  lime  in  one  gallon  of  water. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  85 

August  28 — Four  ounces  of  semi-solid  feces  added  to  one  quart  of  the 
standard  solution  containing  0.S5  per  cent,  of  available  chlorine.  At  the 
end  of  twenty-four  hours  a  trace  of  chlorine  (0.01  per  cent.)  remained; 
there  was  no  appearance  or  odor  of  feces  in  the  mixture — no  cultures 
were  made  in  this  experiment. 

August  31. — Seven  ounces  of  semi-solid  feces  added  to  two  quarts  of 
the  standard  solution,  available  chlorine  0.S3  per  cent.  At  the  end  of 
one  hour  there  was  a  trace  of  chlorine  in  the  mixture.  Two  culture- 
flasks  inoculated  remained  sterile. 

September  5. — Two  and  one  half  ounces  of  semi-solid  feces  added  to 
one  quart  of  the  standard  solution,  available  chlorine  0.9  per  cent.  At 
the  end  of  one  hour  the  mixture  was  found  to  contain  o.  1  per  cent,  of 
available  chlorine.  Two  culture-flasks  were  inoculated  at  the  end  of 
one  hour;  both  broke  down  after  remaining  twenty-four  hours  in  the 
oven.  As  both  flasks  contained  a  pure  culture  of  B.  subtilis,  it  was  evi- 
dent that  this  was  the  most  resistant  organism  present  in  the  material, 
and  that  all  other  organisms  were  destroyed. 

Septe?nber  7. — Six  and  one  half  ounces  of  semi-solid  feces  added  to 
two  quarts  of  the  standard  solution  containing  0.9  per  cent,  of  available 
chlorine.  At  the  end  of  three  hours  the  available  chlorine  present  in  the 
mixture  was  found  to  be  0.11  per  cent.,  and  at  the  end  of  twenty-four 
hours  0.1  per  cent.  Two  tubes  inoculated  at  the  end  of  three  hours  re- 
mained sterile. 

I  conclude  from  these  experiments  that  in  practice  it  will  be  safe  to  use 
one  quart  of  this  standard  solution  for  every  two  ounces  of  feces  to  be 
sterilized.  Vallin  estimates  a  complete  (daily)  evacuation  of  the  bowels 
at  from  150  to  200  grammes — say  six  to  eight  ounces.  Let  us  keep  on 
the  safe  side  and  allow  one  gallon  of  this  solution,  containing  four  ounces 
of  chloride  of  lime  of  the  best  quality,  for  the  sterilization  of  a  normal 
alvine  evacuation.  The  daily  cost  per  capita  for  sterilizing  feces  would 
then  be  less  than  one  cent,  for  chloride  of  lime  can  be  bought  by  the 
quantity  for  three  and  a  half  cents  per  pound. 

Solution  of  Mercuric  Chloride  and  Potassium  Permanganate.1 

August  30. — Two  and  one  half  ounces  of  semi-solid  feces  added  to  one 
pint  of  this  solution.  The  material  was  very  completely  deodorized  bv 
the  potassium  permanganate  in  the  solution.  A  thorough  admixture 
and  breaking  up  of  the  fecal  matter  was  effected  in  this  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing experiments  by  stirring  with  a  glass  rod.  Two  culture-flasks 
were  inoculated  at  the  end  of  two  hours  ;  both  remained  sterile. 

September  6. — Seven  and  one  half  ounces  of  semi-solid  feces  added  to 
one  quart  of  this  solution.  There  was  a  decided  fecal  odor  at  the  end  of 
twenty-four  hours.  Two  culture-flasks  inoculated  at  the  end  of  twenty- 
four  hours  broke  down  with  B.  ter?no 

September  8. — Seven  ounces  of  semi-solid  feces- added  to  two  quarts 
of  this  solution.     Only  a  slight  fecal  odor  at  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours. 

1  Containing  two  drachms  of  each  salt  in  a  gallon  of  water. 


86  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

A  copper  wire  dipped  into  the  mixture  showed  the  presence  cf  a  salt  of 
mercury  in  solution — deposit  of  metallic  mercury  on  wire.  Two  culture- 
tubes  inoculated  in  twenty-four  hours  remained  sterile. 

Making  a  liberal  allowance  on  the  side  of  safety,  we  may  say  that  one 
gallon  of  this  solution,  containing  two  drachms  each  of  mercuric  chlor- 
ide and  potassium  permanganate,  may  be  relied  upon  for  sterilization  and 
deodorization  of  a  normal  alvine  evacuation.  The  cost  would  be  about 
two  cents,  if  the  materials  were  purchased  by  the  quantity,  and  the  solu- 
tion made  (without  expense  for  transportation)  as  required. 

The  following  experiments  have  been  made  with  a  solution  containing 
four  ounces  of  mercuric  chloride  and  one  pound  of  cupric  sulphate  to  the 
gallon  of  water  (concentrated  solution).  For  use,  this  solution  is  diluted 
by  adding  eight  fluid-ounces  to  the  gallon  of  water. 

August  29. — Eight  ounces  of  semi-solid  feces  added  to  one  quart  of 
above  solution.  Fecal  odor  not  destroyed  as  well  as  by  the  solution  con- 
taining potassium  permanganate.  Two  culture-flasks  inoculated  at  the 
end  of  twenty-four  hours  remained  sterile. 

Septe?nber  2. — Three  ounces  of  formed  feces  added  to  one  quart  of 
the  above  mentioned  solution.  Two  culture-flasks  inoculated  at  the  end 
of  twenty-four  hours  remained  sterile. 

The  following  experiment  has  been  made  with  solution  of  carbolic 
acid : 

2d. — One  and  one  half  ounces  of  formed  feces  added  to  one  quart  of  a 
5  per  cent,  solution  of  carbolic  acid.  Two  culture-flasks  inoculated  at 
the  end  of  twenty-four  hours  broke  down  with  B.  subtilis,  a  pure  cult- 
zire,  showing  that  the  spores  of  this  bacillus  had  not  been  killed,  but 
that  the  material  had  been  sterilized  so  far  as  B.  termo,  and  other  putre- 
factive organisms  present,  were  concerned. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS 

FOR  1SS6. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  the  report  for  1885  the  Committee  on 
Disinfectants  recommended  as  the  most  efficient  non-destructive  disin- 
fectants the  following  : 

Steam  under  pressure  at  no°  C.  (2300  F.)  for  ten  minutes. 

Dry  heat  at  1  io°  C.  (2300  F.)  for  two  hours  (in  the  absence  of  spores1) . 

Boiling  in  water  for  one  half  to  one  hour. 

These  conclusions  as  then  announced,  which  were  largely  based  upon 
the  committee's  experimental  work,  have  been  generally  accepted  by  san- 
itarians. The  experimental  researches  of  others,  published  since  those  of 
this  committee,  have  corroborated  the  latter  in  all  essential  particulars.2 

Apparatus  for  disinfection  by  heat  may  be  divided  into  three  classes  : 

1.  Those  in  which  dry  hot  air  is  employed  ; 

2.  Those  in  which  moist  hot  air  is  used  ;  and, 

3.  Those  in  which  steam  is  the  disinfecting  agent. 

As  stated  in  the  committee's  report  for  last  year,8  dry  hot  air  cannot 
be  relied  upon  for  disinfection  when  great  penetrating  power  is  required, 
as  in  disinfecting  mattresses,  feather  beds,  and  thick  bundies  of  clothing, 
or  of  cotton  and  woollen  goods.  Besides,  dry  hot  air,  of  a  sufficiently 
high  temperature  to  act  as  an  efficient  disinfectant,  often  permanently 
injures  textile  fabrics  and  other  objects  requiring  disinfection.  The  very 
recent  investigations  of  Dr.  Parsons  and  Prof.  Max.  Wolff  fully  attest  the 
conclusions  of  the  committee  upon  this  point.  Notwithstanding  these 
objections,  dry  hot  air  may  probably  often  be  used  as  a  disinfectant  with 
good  results  if  the  above  mentioned  limitations  be  borne  in  mind.  In  no 
event,  however,  can  dry  heat  be  expected  to  prove  an  efficient  disinfect- 
ant unless  a  temperature  above  no°C.  (2300  F.)  has  been  maintained 
for  upward  of  two  hours. 

Dr.  Parsons4  formulates  clearly  the  requisites  of  a  good  disinfection 
apparatus.     They  are  as  follows  : 

"  1.  A  uniform  distribution  of  heat  in  all  parts  of  the  chamber  ; 

"2.  The  maintenance  of  the  heat  with  constancy  at  any  required  de- 
gree ; 

"3.  A  trustworthy  index  to  the  actual  temperature  of  the  interior  at 
the  time  being ; 

1Vide  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants  for  1885,  p.  123. 

2  See  Parsons  :  Supplement  to  the  14th  Report  of  the  Local  Gov't  Board.    Max.  Wolff :  Virchow's 
Archiv.  Bd.,  102,  p.  81  et  seq.  Grancher :  Revue  d'Hygiene,  1886. 
8  Page  iic. 
4L.  c,  p.  244. 


88  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

"4.  Rapidity  of  action,  both  in  the  first  getting  up  of  heat  and  in  effect- 
ing disinfection  ;  and, 

"5.  Economy  of  first  cost  and  of  working." 

In  none  of  the  various  apparatus  designed  for  disinfection  with  dry  hot 
air  has  a  uniform  distribution  of  the  heat  in  the  chamber  been  attained. 
In  order  to  obviate  this  difficulty,  some  inventors  and  experimenters  have 
rendered  the  hot  air  humid  either  by  evaporating  water  in  the  disinfect- 
ing chamber,  or  by  injecting  steam  into  the  same.  By  this  means  the 
distribution  of  heat  is  rendered  more  even,  and  its  penetrating  power  is 
said  to  be  increased. 

In  using  hot-air  apparatus,  the  fuel  employed  is  of  some  importance. 
By  the  use  of  gas  the  heat  can  be  maintained  more  equably  than  when 
coal,  coke,  or  wood  is  used.  The  feeding  of  the  furnace,  when  the  latter 
forms  of  fuel  are  employed,  allows  a  certain  amount  of  cooling  off, 
and  hence  a  corresponding  loss  of  heating  time.  When  the  heat  is  fur- 
nished by  a  current  of  steam  circulating  through  a  steam  pipe  properly 
disposed  in  the  disinfecting  chamber,  the  greatest  degree  of  uniformity  in 
the  temperature  can  be  maintained. 

Apparatuses  for  disinfection  by  steam  are  of  two  sorts, — those  in  which 
the  steam  passes  through  the  disinfecting  chamber  without  compression, 
and  those  in  which  it  is  confined  by  pressure.  In  the  former,  the  vapor 
is  sometimes  superheated  by  a  secondary  heating  apparatus,  and  thus  is 
jDrobably  equally  efficient  as  the  steam  under  pressure. 

The  committee  desires  to  express  its  conviction,  based  upon  the  prac- 
tical experience  of  some  of  its  members,  that  the  use  of  steam,  and  espe- 
cially when  superheated  or  under  pressure,  is  the  most  efficient  agent  for 
the  destruction  of  all  sorts  of  infectious  material. 

The  experiments  of  Prof.  M.  Wolff1  show  that  with  an  apparatus  of 
the  former  sort,  an  exposure  of  at  least  one  hour  was  requisite  for  thor- 
ough disinfection. 

The  committee  regrets  that  on  account  of  want  of  means  no  practical 
study  of  the  various  apparatuses  for  heat  disinfection  could  be  undertaken 
during  the  past  year.  A  trustworthy  judgment  upon  the  comparative 
merits  of  the  different  machines  cannot  therefore  be  expected  or  given. 
It  is  hoped,  however,  that  the  full  collection  of  disinfecting  machines 
illustrated  in  the  appendices  to  this  report. will  enable  health  officers  and 
others  interested  to  decide  upon  those  most  suitable  for  their  use. 

George  M.  Sternberg, 

,  Chairman. 

J.  H.  Raymond. 
V.  C.  Vaughan. 
Charles  Smart. 
S.  H.  Durgin. 
Jos.  Holt. 
George  H.  Rohe. 

iVirchow's  Archiv.  Bd.,  102. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISIA'FECTANTS.  89 

APPENDIX  "A." 

Apparatus  for  the  Application  of  Dry  and  Moist  Heat  in 

Disinfection. 

By  GEORGE  II.  ROHE,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Hygiene  in  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons,  Baltimore;  Secretary  of  the  Committee. 


Fig.  1. — Large  size.  Fig.  2. — Small  size. 

i.  Nelson's  Patent  Disinfecting  Apparatus. 

[From  Dr.  Parsons's  report  on  Disinfection  by  Heat,  Fourteenth  Annual  Report  of  the  Local  Gov- 
ernment Board,  p.  253.] 

This  apparatus  consists  of  a  rectangular  iron  chest  with  double  side 
walls.  The  smaller  sizes  have  a  hinged  and  counterpoised  lid  ;  the  lar- 
ger ones,  two  doors  opening  in  front.  Underneath  the  bottom,  which  is 
of  a  single  plate,  is  a  series  of  luminous  gas  jets;  the  heated  air  from 
these  plays  upon  the  bottom,  and,  passing  up  between  the  outer  and 
inner  walls,  is  carried  off  by  a  flue  without  entering  the  interior  of  the 
chamber.  The  chamber  is  furnished  with  two  openings  for  ventilation, 
an  inlet  at  the  bottom  and  an  outlet  at  the  top  at  the  opposite  end,  com- 
municating with  the  flue.  These  openings  are  furnished  with  slides  by 
which  they  can  be  closed  or  opened.  A  thermometer  is  fixed  near  the 
outlet  flue  with  the  bulb  in  the  space  between  the  wralls.  This  furnishes 
a  guide  to  the  temperature  within  the  chamber.  The  manufacturers 
state  that  a  temperature  of  6o°  C.  (1400  F.),  as  shown  by  the  thermome- 
ter, corresponds  to  one  of  93.50  C.  (2000  F.)  within  the  chamber.  The 
external  thermometer  should  never  be  allowed  to  exceed  S2.50  C.  (1S00 
F.).  The  apparatus  was  heated  to  a  temperature  sufficient  for  disinfec- 
tion in  ten  minutes. 


9° 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


2.  Fraser's  Patent  Disinfecting  Apparatus. 


[Dr.  Parsons's  Report,  p.  255.] 

This  is  made  in  two  forms,  stationary  and  portable.  The  first  con- 
sists of  a  brick  oven,  the  heat  being  supplied  by  coke.  In  the  largest 
apparatus  there  are  doors  at  either  end,  the  bottom  of  the  oven  being 
level  with  the  ground.  The  clothing  to  be  disinfected  is  placed  in  lat- 
ticed trays  upon  an  iron  truck,  'which  is  wheeled  into  the  oven  at  one 
end.  After  exposure  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time  to  a  proper  tempera- 
ture, the  truck  is  withdrawn  through  the  doors  at  the  other  end  of  the 
oven.      (See  accompanying  plans.) 


FRONT     ELEVATION 

Fig.  3- 

In  a  smaller  form  of  apparatus,  suitable  for  hospitals,  etc.,  there  are 
doors  at  one  end  only,  and  the  articles  to  be  disinfected  are  placed  on 
wooden  trays  in  the  chamber.  Above  the  furnace  is  the  door  of  a  small 
fire-place,  in  which  sulphur  can  be  burnt  to  aid  in  the  disinfection.  The 
fumes  enter  the  chamber  through  the  iron  grating  which  forms  its  floor. 
[This  would  seem  to  be  unnecessary.  If  the  temperature  is  sufficiently 
high,  the  sulphur  dioxide  is  needless:  if  the  heat  is  not  high  enough  to 
disinfect  the  articles,  the  apparatus  should  be  rejected.  Dr.  Parsons's  ex- 
periments with  the  apparatus  were  not  very  satisfactory.      It  is,  however 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


91 


used  by  many  public  sanitary  authorities  in  England.]  In  the  roof  of 
the  oven  is  an  opening  by  which,  when  the  damper  is  pulled  out,  a  com- 
munication is  established  with  the  ash-pit  of  the  furnace.  This  forms  an 
outlet  for  ventilation,  the  sulphur  stove  acting  as  an  inlet.  The  fumes 
given  off  from  the  materials  subjected  to  disinfection  are  thus  made  to 
pass  through  the  fire. 

The  portable  apparatus  is  in  the  form  of  a  van,  being  placed  on  four 
iron  wheels.     The  chamber  is  seven  feet  long,  four  feet  and  six  inches 


Fig.  4.     Transverse  section. 

A. — Carriage  in  which  infected  articles  are  conveyed. 

B.  — Flue  to  draw  vapors  from  inside  of  chamber  through  the  fire. 

C. — Furnace  and  smoke  flues. 

wide,  and  three  feet  high,  internally.  It  is  made  of  iron  covered  with 
felt,  and  cased  externally  with  wood.  Shafts  can  be  attached,  and  the 
machine  moved  from  place  to  place  as  required.  The  apparatus  weighs 
about  four  tons. 


92 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


Ill  the  larger  apparatus  coke  is  used  as  fuel,  and  the  time  required  to 
raise  the  temperature  to  the  proper  height  varies  from  an  hour  and  a  half 
to  five  hours  and  a  half.      In  the  portable  machine  the  fuel  used  is  coal. 


Fig.  5- 

B. — Flue  to  draw  vapor  from  inside  of  chamber  through  the  fire. 
C. — Furnace  and  smoke-flues. 

In  an  experiment  lasting  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  with  the  expenditure  ot 
twenty-four  pounds  of  coal,  the  temperature  was  raised  to  1490  C.  (3000 
F.).     In  six  hours  fifty-six  pounds  of  coal  were  consumed. 


Fig.  6. 
Carriage  in  which  infected  articles  are  conveyed. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


93 


Bradford's  Patent  "Safety"  Disinfecting  Apparatus. 

[Dr.  Parsons's  report,  p.  269.] 

This  consists  of  two  parts,  the  base  and  the  container.      (See  Fig.  7. 

The  base  is  divided  lon- 
gitudinally into  three  com- 
partments, of  whigh  the 
central  one  is  the  heating 
chamber,  and  the  side  ones 
are  for  ventilation,  com- 
municating with  the  fire- 
chamber  by  slide-valves. 
The  fire-chamber  has  a 
door  at  one  end  and  a  flue 
at  the  other.  The  fire  is 
contained  in  a  wagon  run- 
ning on  wheels,  which 
can  be  drawn  out  for 
convenience  of  stoking. 
Peat,  coal,  coke,  or  char- 
^=coal  may  be   used  as  fuel. 


^mxx^_ 


Fig.  7. 
A. — Base. 

B. — Rack  on  which  infected  articles  are  placed. 
C. — Container. 
D. — Movable  fire-basket. 


The  roof  of  the  fire-cham- 
ber is  formed  of  hollow 
iron  bars,  triangular  in  sec- 
tion, and  open  at  the  ends, 
for  the  purpose  of  affording  a  large  heating  surface.  The  remainder  of 
the  base  is  covered  with  a  layer  of  sand  upon  which  the  container  rests. 
The  container  is  a  large  rectangular  iron  box,  covered  with  non-conduct- 
ing composition,  open  below,  and  suspended  by  chains  and  counter- 
poises from  pillars  at  each  corner  of  the  base,  after  the  manner  of  a  gas- 
holder.    There  is  a  valve  in  the  roof  for  ventilation.  , 

The  articles  to  be  disinfected  are  placed  on  a  galvanized  iron  rack 
which  stands  on  the  base  over  the  fire-chamber,  and  when  in  position  the 
container  is  let  down  over  them  antl  rests  on  the  base,  forming  with  the 
sand  a  sufficiently  close  joint.-  The  base  is  made  to  run  on  wheels,  so 
that  the  apparatus  may  be  moved  from  place  to  place. 

The  rack  is  made  of  tubes  to  serve  for  the  admission  of  steam  into  the 
container,  and  evaporating  dishes  containing  water  are  placed  at  the 
bottom  over  the  fire  chamber.  A  fixed  form  of  the  apparatus  on  a  large 
scale  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  plans,  (Figs.  S-12). 


94 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


Bradford's  "Safety"  Disinfecting  Apparatus. 

Another  Form  of  this  Apparatus. 
[Parsons,  p.  272.] 

In  this  form  the  base  is  fixed.  The  furnace  is  of  brick,  with  a  fire- 
brick bridge,  and  occupies  the  greater  part  of  the  base,  the  cellular  bars 
projecting  beyond  it  so  as  to  cover  nearly  the  whole  area.     Above  these 


FRONT  ELEVATION 


SIDE  ELEVATION 


Fig.  8. 


are  two  large,  flat,  iron  evaporating  vessels,  with  inflexed  edges  to  pre- 
vent boiling  over.  The  water  in  these  is  maintained  at  a  constant  level 
by  a  pipe  communicating  with  a  feeding  cistern  outside.  Above  the 
evaporating  dishes  is  an  iron  plate  covered  with  asbestos  to  cut  off  direct 
radiation  from  the  heated  base. 

The  container,  which  measures  8  ft.  long,  S  ft.  wide,  and  4  ft.  6  in. 
high,  is  raised  by  a  crab  with  worm-wheel  instead  of  being  counterpoised. 


5LATETABUE     |  [    Q^Q 


SECTION    A  B 
Fig.  10. 


Itf.ts,  as  in  the  other,  on  a  sand-joint.     The  iron  horse,  on  which  clothes, 
etc.,  are  placed,  slides  out  at  the  side  on  wheels  running  in  iron  grooves. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


95 


Fig.  II. 


n     1 1   1 1    cr 


LONGITUDINAL    5ECT10K 


Fig.   12 


Merke's  Disinfecting  Apparatus. 

This  apparatus  was  first  constructed  in  1S73  for  the  use  of  the  Munic- 
ipal hospital  at  Moabit  in  the  suburbs  of  Berlin.  The  first  form  of  the 
machine  was  defective  in  some  of  the  technical  details;  and  in  1879  a 
new  apparatus  was  constructed  according  to  the  plans  of  the  superintend- 
ent of  the  hospital,  Mr.  H.  Merke.  The  following  description  is  given 
by  the  inventor  :  1 

1  Virchow's  Archiv.  Bd.,  ^"j,  4tes  Heft.,  Sept  ,  1879. 


96 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


The  apparatus  consists  of  an  outer  wall  of  5  inches  thick,  an  inner 
wall  of  10  inches,  and  a  space  of  2 J  inches  between  the  two.  This  space 
is  filled  with  sawdust,  and  is  in- 
tended to  prevent  the  rapid  con- 
duction of  heat  from  the  interior  of 
the  chamber.  The  floor  is  of  cem- 
ent, and  is  likewise  isolated  by  a 
layer  of  sawdust  from  the  masonry 
base.  In  one  of  the  walls  is  an 
iron  door  5  feet  high  and  26  inches 
wide,  which  can  be  tightly  closed 
against  a  felt  rim  by  means  of  a 
screw.  In  the  inner  wall  is  an 
iron  sliding  door.  In  the  slightly 
arched  roof  is  an  opening  8  inches 
square  leading  into  the  chimney, 
which  extends  8  feet  above  the  roof 
of  the  chamber.     Two  feet  above  Fig.  13.— Front  elevation. 

the  roof  the  chimney  is  furnished  with  an  iron  damper,  which  can  be 
raised  by  means  of  a  chain  working  over  a  pulley.     The  isolating  layer 


Fig.  14. — Longitudinal  section. 


Fig.  15. — Transverse  section. 


of  sawdust  is  ventilated  by  ventilators  extending  above  the  roof.     The 
interior  of  the  chamber  is  7  feet  4  inches  high,  9  feet  10  inches  long,  and 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


97 


5  feet  wide.  At  an  elevation 
of  5  feet  8  inches  above  the 
floor  a  strong  copper  steam 
pipe,  3  inches  in  diameter,  en- 
ters the  chamber,  and  is  con- 
tinued in  spirals  around  the 
interior  of  the  inner  wall,  and 
in  a  double  layer  upon  t'^e 
floor.  The  pipe  terminates  ex- 
ternally in  a  condenser.  Two 
tubes,  2\  inches  in  diameter, 
admit  air  into  the  chamber 
about  2  inches  above  the  floor. 
Near  the  upper  right-hand  cor- 
ner is  a  pyrometer,  which  indi- 
cates the  temperature  in  the  in- 
terior. 

In  order  to  use  the  appara- 
tus, the  articles  to  be  disinfected 
are  hung  up  on  hooks  in  the 
chamber.     The  doors  are  clos- 

Fig.  i6.-Plan  showing  arrangement  of  heating  pipes.    ed,  and   the    Steam    turned   into 

the  copper  steam  pipe.  The  damper  in  the  chimney  and  the  valves 
of  the  air  tubes  are  opened  for  half  an  hour  to  allow  all  moisture  to  be 
driven  off.  They  are  then  closed.  The  steam  is  passed  through  the  pipe 
until  the  temperature 
of  the  chamber,  as  in- 
dicated by  the  pyrom- 
eter, is  raised  to  125° 
C.  (257°F.).  This  is 
usually  reached  in  half 
an  hour,  and  is  then 
maintained  about  an 
hour  longer.  During 
the  last  half  hour  the 
air  tubes  and  chimney 
damper  are  again  open-  Fig.  17. 

ed    to    permit    ventila-       A.— Plan  of  roof  of  chamber.     IIII.— Ventilators  of  isolating 
tion.       In   fifteen    mill-  spaces.    B. — Section  of  chimney  showing  damper. 

utes  after  opening  the  doors  the  temperature  has  fallen  to  35°-4o°  C. 
(950— 1040  F.),  allowing  the  removal  of  the  disinfected  articles. 

The  entire  cost  of  erection  of  this  apparatus  was  2,035  marks  (about 
$500).      This  does  not  include  the  steam  boiler. 

The  distribution  of  heat  in  the  interior  is  fairly  equable.  The  experi- 
ments of  WolrThiigel  x  showed  a  difference  of  11. 8°  C.  (210  F.). 


1  Mittheilungen  a.  d.  Kais.  Gesdhtsamte,  Bd.  I. 


p8  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

Dr.  Heron  Rogers's  Portable  Disinfecting  Chest. 

[Dr.  Parsons's  report,  p.  264.] 

This  is  a  rectangular  chest  [Fig.  iS]  3  ft.  6  in.  long,  2  ft.  6  in.  wide, 
and  2  ft.  9  in.  high,  mounted  on  four  iron  wheels,  and  with  a  handle  at 
one  end.  The  sides,  ends,  and  bottom  are  double  ;  and  in  the  bottom 
there  is  at  one  end  an 
opening  in  the  outer 
casing,  under  which  a 
fire-box  is  slid.  The 
products  of  combus- 
tion ascend  in  the  in- 
terspace between  the 
casings,  and  find  an 
exit  by  a  flue  at  the 
end  opposite  the  fire- 
box. The  lid  is  a  slid- 
ing plate  of  iron.  A 
box  (a)  with  a  sliding  EEEE 
lid  is  provided  for  the 
conveyance  of  infected 
articles.  This  box  is 
intended  to  be  invert- 
ed over  the  mouth  of 
the  chest,  when,  the 
lid  being  withdrawn, 
the  articles  within  are 


Fig.  18. 

A. — A  loose  wooden  box,  by  which  clothing,  &c,  is  brought  from 

the  sick-room  without  danger  of  infection. 
B. — Hot-air  disinfecting  chest. 
C. — Fire  or  other  heating  agent. 
D. — Fresh-air  valve,  by  which  noxious  vapors,  &c,  are  forced 

into  chimney,  E,  which  is  connected  with  an  ordinary  flue  or 

pipe. 
F. — Thermometer. 


allowed  to  fall  upon  brackets  in  the  interior  of  the  chest.  In  the  top  of 
the  chest,  at  the  end  above  the  fire-box,  a  thermometer  is  fixed,  the  bulb 
encased  in  an  iron  tube  extending  downward  six  inches  into  the  interior 
of  the  chest.  The  thermometer  does  not  indicate  accurately  the  tempera- 
ture in  the  chamber.  Coal  is  used  as  fuel.  It  takes  about  an  hour  after 
the  fire  is  lighted  to  reach  the  temperature  required. 


Dr.  Ransom's  Self-Regulating  Disinfecting  Apparatus. 

[Dr.  Parsons's  report,  p.  277.] 

This  consists  of  a  cubical  iron  chamber,  cased  in  wood,  with  an  inter- 
vening layer  of  felt,  access  to  the  interior  being  obtained  by  double  doors. 
As  manufactured  for  municipal  disinfecting  stations,  the  chamber  has 
doors  on  opposite  sides,  and  is  placed  in  the  partition  wall  which  divides 
the  establishment  into  two  sides, — an  "  infected  "  and  a  u  clean"  side, — 
infected  articles  being  carried  into  the  apparatus  on  one  side,  and  remov- 
ed, when  disinfected,  on  the  other. 

The  furnace  is  placed  at  the  side  of  the  chamber,  and  at  a  lower  level. 
It  consists  of  a  ring  of  atmospheric  gas-burners  enclosed  in  an  iron  tube. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  99 

The  heated  air  containing  the  products  of  combustion  passes  along  a  hor- 
izontal flue,  and  enters  the  chamber  at  the  bottom,  which  is  perforated  by 
a  number  of  holes  for  its  equable  distribution.  In  the  horizontal  flue  are 
fixed  the  bulbs  of  a  thermometer  {H,  Fig.  19)  and  of  a  self-acting  mer- 
curial regulator.  Through  the  latter  the  gas-supply  to  the  burners  can 
be  made  to  pass  ;  and  it  is  so  constructed  that  as  the  temperature  of  the 
apparatus  rises,  the  mercury  expanding  encroaches  upon  a  slit  (A,  Fig. 
19),  through  which  the  gas  passes,  and  thus  gradually  cuts  off  the  supply. 


Fig.  19. 


At  the  top  of  the  chamber  there  is  an  outlet  flue  controlled  by  a  valve, 
and  furnished  with  a  thermometer  (JE,  Fig.  19).  In  connection  with 
the  outlet  is  an  arrangement  designed  for  the  extinction  of  fire.  When 
the  temperature  at  the  outlet  exceeds  1490  C.  (3000  F.),  a  link  of  fusible 


IOO  RF PORT  OF  COMMITTEE  0Ar  DISINFECTANTS. 

metal  melts,  closing  a  clamper,  and  shutting  off  the  supply  of  gas.  The 
chamber  is  fitted  with  bars  and  hooks  for  suspending  clothing  and  other 
articles  to  be  disinfected. 

When  the  stove  is  first  lighted,  the  gas  is  admitted  to  the  burners  direct 
through  a  short  circuit  pipe  (  C,  Fig.  19)  without  passing  through  the 
regulator  ;  but  when  the  mercury  in  the  latter  has  risen  high  enough  to 
reach  the  slit,  this  pipe  is  closed  by  a  tap  so  as  to  compel  the  gas  to  pass 
through  the  regulator.  The  regulator  is  furnished  with  an  adjusting 
screw  (Z?,  Fig.  19),  so  that  it  can  be  set  to  work  at  a  higher  or  lower 
temperature  as  required.  It  takes  from  three  to  four  hours  to  raise  the 
temperature  to  1210  C.  (2500  F.). 

The  great  merits  of  this  apparatus  are  the  even  distribution  of  heat  and 
the  accuracy  with  which  the  temperature  can  be  adjusted  and  kept  con- 
stant without  supervision.  Hence  it  may  be  used  for  the  disinfection  of 
such  articles  as  will  bear  a  temperature  of  1210  C.  (2500  F.)  with  little 
risk  of  injury.  The  chief  drawback  to  its  use  appears  to  be  the  long 
time  which  it  takes,  first,  to  raise  the  chamber  to  the  required  tempera- 
ture, and,  second,  to  accomplish  the  penetration  of  heat  into  bulky  non- 
conducting articles  (pillows,  mattresses,  etc.).  Another  inconvenience  is 
that  the  gas  flame  is  liable  to  "  catch  back,"  especially  if  the  doors  to 
the  chamber  be  suddenly  opened  or  shut, — 1.  £.,  the  gas  burns  before 
instead  of  after  its  admixture  with  air,  with  the  result  that  little  heat  en- 
ters the  chamber,  but  that  the  gas  pipes  get  strongly  heated.  The  occur- 
rence of  this  accident  is  indicated  by  a  slight  explosion  ;  and  if  it  be  found 
to  have  taken  place,  the  gas  must  be  extinguished  and  relighted. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS;  J 


Leoxi's  Patent  Disinfector. 


[Dr.  Parsons's  report,  p.  280.] 

This  apparatus  consists  of  a  cylinder  built  of  tiles  set  in  an  iron  frame, 
and  in  shape  and  size  somewhat  resembling  a  diving-bell.     The  internal 

diameter  is  4  ft.  8  in., 
and  the  height  9  ft.,  of 
which  about  6  ft.  are 
above  the  level  of  the 
floor.  In  front  there  is 
a  door  by  which  access 
to  the  interior  is  ob- 
tained. The  door  is 
not  of  the  full  height  ot 
the  chamber.  Three 
feet  below  the  floor  lev- 
el are  rings  of  atmos- 
pheric gas-burners,  so 
arranged  that  one  or 
,  more  rings  can  be  used 
at  a  time.  At  the  floor 
level  is  a  grating  upon 
which  articles  to  be  dis- 
infected can  be  placed  ; 
and  in  the  walls  and 
roof  of  the  chamber  are 
arrangements  of  bars 
and  hooks  upon  which 
other  articles  can  be 
suspended.  The  arti- 
cles to  be  disinfected 
are  thus  3  feet  above 
the  gas  flames.  In  the 
centre  of  the  roof  is 
an  outlet,  which  can 
be  closed  by  a  sliding 
valve.  To  prevent  loss 
bv  radiation,  the  disin- 
fectors  are  encased  in  brickwork  except  in  front.  The  disinfected  arti- 
cles have  to  be  taken  out  by  the  same  way  that  infected  articles  are  put 
in,  thus  apparently  involving  some  risk  of  their  being  reinfected.  The 
consumption  of  70  cubic  feet  of  gas  and  half  an  hour  of  time  suffices  to 
raise  the  temperature  in  the  chamber  to  1490  C.  (3000  F.). 


102 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINEECTANTS. 


Scott's  Patent  Disinfcting  Apparatus. 

[Dr.  Parsons's  report,  p.  282.] 

Two  forms  of  this  apparatus  are  made  :  in  one  the  heat  is  furnished  by 
gas,  and  in  the  other  by  coal.  The  former  is  the  more  desirable.  The 
apparatus  consists  of  a  brick  or  iron  oven  enclosed  in  a  brick  building. 
A  partition  wall,  level  with  one  end  of  the  oven,  divides  this  building 
into  two  distinct  compartments,  the  larger  for  infected  and  the  smaller 


Fig.  21. 

for  disinfected  articles.  The  supply  of  gas  can  be  governed  by  an  auto- 
matic gas  regulator.  The  gas  is  burned  by  means  of  a  double  crown  of 
burners  covered  by  a  plate  of  sheet  iron,  upon  which  a  vessel  of  water 
may  be  placed  to  supply  moisture  to  the  air  by  evaporation.  In  a  test 
the  temperature  was  raised  to  above  1500  C.  (3050  F.)  in  an  hour,  with 
the  consumption  of  200  cubic  feet  of  gas. 


Jennings's  Disinfecting  Apparatus. 

[Dr.  Parsons's  report,  p.  287.] 

This  is  a  doubled-walled  iron  chamber,  with  a  heavy  iron  lid.  The  iron 
plate  of  which  the  apparatus  is  made  is  J"  thich.  The  space  between 
the  plates  forming  the  walls  is  3  inches  at  the  bottom,  diminishing  to  J" 
at  the  top.  The  bottom  of  the  chamber  is  formed  of  a  single  iron  plate. 
The  sides  and  lid  are  coated  externally  with  asbestos  composition,  with 
a  view  of  economizing  heat.     Beneath  the  bottom,  and  at  a  distance  of 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


103 


i|"  from  it,  is  a  series  of  atmospheric  gas-burners  containing  500  jets. 

The  space  between  the  inner  and  outer  shells  is  open  at  the  bottom,  and 

communicates  above  with  the  in- 
terior of  the  chamber  by  a  double 
row  of  holes  around  the  four  sides. 
The  interior  of  the  chamber  is  con- 
nected by  a  flue  at  the  side  by  an 
aperture  opening  in  the  centre  of 
the  bottom,  and  capable  of  being 
opened  and  shut  from  the  outside 
by  a  sliding  valve. 

The  heated  air  ascending  from 
the   burners    impinges    upon   the 
bottom  of  the  chamber,  and   as- 
cending in  the  space  between  the 
FiS-  22-  two   cells,    enters   the    interior 

through  the  holes,  and  is  drawn  off  by  the  flue. 

Eighty  cubic  feet  of  gas  raised  the  temperature  to  a  sufficient  height  in 

half  an  hour. 


Fig.  23. 


Taylor's  Disinfecting  Closet. 


[Dr.  Parsons's  report,  p.  274.] 

This  is  built  of  brick,  its  dimensions  being  7x7x7  feet.  The  cut 
(Fig.  24)  shows  the  external  appearance  without  further  description. 
The  interior  is  divided  into  two  compartments  by  a  perforated  brick 
wall,  which  does  not,  however,  reach  to  the  roof  or  to  the  back  wall.  In 
the  right  compartment  is  the  body  of  the  furnace,  which  is  horizontal, 
and  made  of  corrugated  cast  iron,  with  a  chimney  at  the  far  end.  There 
is  a  sliding  door  at  the  side  of  the  chamber,  through  which,  if  desired, 
sulphur  can  be  placed  on  the  roof  of  the  furnace.  The  left  compart- 
ment contains  two  iron  horses,  which  slide  in  and  out  on  rails  in  the 


104- 


KEFORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


floor.     At  the  back   of  the   chamber  is   a   pipe   communicating  with  a 
boiler.     Through  this  pipe  steam  can  be  blown  into  the  chamber.     The 


Fig.  24. 

air  from  the  chamber  can  be  made  to  pass  through  the  furnace.     From 
60  to  75  pounds  of  coke  are  consumed  each  time  of  using  the  apparatus. 

Raetke's  Disinfecting  Oven. 

This  consists  of  a  rectangular  sheet-iron  box  5  ft.  long,  5  ft.  high,  and 
3  ft.  3  in.  broad.  The  chamber  is  divided  by  an  iron  partition,  which 
divides  the  chamber  into  two  compartments,  the  larger  one  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  articles  to  be  disinfected,  and  the  smaller,  which  contains  a 
grate,  and  above  it  a  reservoir  for  the  heated  air.  A  valve,  which  can 
be  opened  or  closed  from  without,  divides  the  hot-air  reservoir  from  the 
disinfecting  chamber.  The  fuel  used  is  coke,  or  coke  and  coal.  The 
temperature  of  the  interior  is  indicated  by  a  thermometer  in  the  cover  of 
the  apparatus.  The  apparatus  is  portable.  Experiments  by  Prof  Max. 
Wolff1  show  that  this  machine  is  capable  of  producing  all  the  disinfect- 
ant effects  to  be  obtained  from  drv  heat. 


Geneste,  Herscher  et  Cie's  Disinfecting  Apparatus. 

A  model  of  this  machine  is  in  the  Museum  of  Hygiene  at  Washington, 
D.  C.  It  consists  of  a  chamber  heated  by  a  coil  of  steam  pipes  at  the 
bottom  and  around  the  sides.  Some  of  the  steam  pipes  are  perforated  to 
permit  the  escape  of  steam  into  the  chamber  during  the  disinfection. 
The  apparatus  is  portable,  but  can  only  be  used  where  steam  can  be  ob- 
tained. There  is  a  door  at  each  end  of  the  apparatus,  and  the  articles  to 
be  disinfected  are  placed  upon  a  framework  running  upon  a  track.  A 
thermometer  in  the  side  of  the  apparatus  is  intended  to  indicate  the  inter- 
nal temperature.     The  steam  used  is  not  under  pressure. 

1  Virchow's  Archiv.  Bd.,  102,  p.  83. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


J<>5 


Lyon's  Patent  Steam  Disinfector. 

[Dr.  Parsons's  report,  p.  293.] 

This  consists  of  a  large  and  strong  iron  chamber,  with  double  walls  of 
boiler  plate,  and  provided  with  a  tightlv  fitting  door  at  one  or  both  ends. 


Fie.  a;. 


The  chamber  is  usually  made  elliptical  in  section,  the  long  diameter  of 
the  ellipse  being  vertical  for  the  more  convenient  reception  of  bulky  arti- 
cles, as  mattresses,  sofas,  etc.     In  its  original  form  it  had  a  door  hung 


ROOM  F 

DISINFECTED 


on  hinges  at  one  end  only,  the  back  being  steam  jacketed  like  the  cir- 
cumference. This  form  was  made*  to  run  on  wheels  for  removal  from 
place  to  place,  if  desired. 


io6 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  D  IS  EYE  EC  TA  NTS. 


Another  form,  designed  for  a  town  disinfecting  station,  and  intended 
to  be  placed  in  the  partition 
wall  dividing  the  building 
into  two  sides  for  infected 
and  disinfected  articles  re- 
spectively, is  cylindrical, 
and  has  a  door  at  either  end. 
The  doors  swing  on  hinges, 
their  weight  being  borne 
by  a  castor  running  on  a 
curved  rail.  The  door 
shuts  against  an  India-rub- 
ber collar,  and  is  fastened 
with  screws  to  make  a 
steam-tight  joint. 

Steam  from  a  boiler  can 
be  admitted  into  either  the 
hollow  casing  or  the  inte- 
rior of  the  chamber.  A 
steam  gauge  registers  the 
pressure.  If  a  higher  tem- 
perature is  desired  in  the 
chamber,  it  may  be  secur- 
ed by  increasing  the  press- 
ure of  the  steam  in  the 
casing.  The  latter  pro- 
cedure has  an  additional 
advantage,  as  it  prevents 
the  condensation  of  the 
steam  in  the  chamber,  thus 
keeping  it  in  the  condition 
of  "  dry  steam." 


Fig.  27. 


Benham  &  Sons'  Steam  Disinfector. 

[Dr.  Parsons's  report,  p.  297. ] 


Fig.  2S. 


This  consists  of  a  rectangular  iron 
chest  resembling  a  fire-proof  safe,  the 
internal  dimensions  being  3  ft.  long, 
1  ft.  6  in.  wide,  and  3  ft.  6  in.  high. 
It  is  surrounded  by  a  steam  jacket  one 
nch  thick,  except  on  the  side  formed 
by  the  door,  and  for  a  space  three 
inches  in  width  surrounding  it.  The 
chest  itself  is  of  cast  iron,  the  outer 
wall  of  the  jacket  being  ^e  in.  boiler 
plate.      Steam   from   a  boiler   can  be 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  107 

admitted  both  into  the  casing  and  into  the  interior  of  the  chamber.  The 
door  is  formed  of  a  plate  of  cast  iron  strengthened  by  ribs  and  opening 
on  hinges.  The  face  against  which  it  shuts  is  furnished  with  an  India- 
rubber  collar  set  into  a  groove.  The  door  is  secured  by  a  single  large 
screw  in  the  centre,  working  into  a  female  screw  in  a  strong  iron  bar 
which  lies  across  the  mouth  of  the  chamber,  resting  in  a  groove  on  either 
side,  so  that  it  can  be  removed  to  allow  articles  to  be  placed  in  the  cham- 
ber. This  form  of  fastening  allows  the  door  to  be  opened  with  great 
facility  and  expedition,  but  is  not  adapted  to  sustain  a  high  pressure. 


Bradford's  Steam  Disinfector. 

[Dr.  Parsons's  report,  p.  300.] 

This  apparatus  is  a  horizontal  cylinder  of  boiler  plate  7  ft.  long  and  4 
ft.  in  diameter,  supplied  with  steam  from  a  boiler.  It  is  covered  with  a 
non-conducting  composition.  It  has  not  a  complete  steam  jacket,  but 
there  is  a  square  steam  chamber  applied  to  the  bottom,  into  which  steam 
can  be  let  by  a  branch  pipe  in  order  to  warm  the  cylinder.  This  cham- 
ber is  furnished  with  a  "steam  trap"  to  run  off  condensed  water.  The 
cylinder  has  a  door  at  either  end.  The  doors  are  hung  from  wheels  run- 
ning on  bars  overhead.  The  two  ends  of  the  cylinder  are  isolated  from 
each  other  by  a  partition  wall  dividing  the  apartment  in  which  the  ma- 
chine is  contained  into  two  rooms,  as  in  Lyon's  apparatus. 

Gibier's  Movable  Disinfecting  Stove. 

[Journal  (T  Hygiene,  July  22,  1886.] 

M.  Paul  Gibier  recently  presented  at  the  Academy  of  Medicine  of  Paris 
a  design  for  a  steam  disinfecting  stove,  which  has  many  novel  features. 
The  apparatus  may  be  taken  to  pieces  and  easily  transported.  The  in- 
ventor claims  as  one  of  its  advantages  that  it  can  be  taken  into  the  sick- 
room, and  disinfection  of  infected  articles  accomplished  on  the  spot. 

The  base  consists  of  a  stove,  the  top  of  which  is  formed  of  a  shallow 
basin  constituting  the  boiler.  From  an  outlet  in  the  bottom  of  the  boiler 
a  pipe  runs  to  one  side  of  the  stove-case,  where  it  terminates  in  a  stop- 
cock. By  this  means  the  boiler  is  emptied  of  water  when  the  disinfec- 
tion is  completed.  Over  the  boiler  is  a  perforated  plate,  upon  which  the 
objects  to  be  disinfected  are  placed.  This  forms  the  bottom  of  the  disin- 
fecting chamber,  which  is  made  of  segments  of  sheet  iron  covered  with 
felt  to  retard  escape  of  heat.  The  different  segments  are  easily  and  rap- 
idly joined  by  means  of  the  clamp-screws,  as  shown  in  the  figure. 

After  the  articles  to  be  disinfected  are  placed  in  the  chamber,  the  top, 
which  is  furnished  with  a  thermometer  projecting  into  the  interior  of  the 
chamber,  is  put  into  its  place  and  fastened  by  means  of  clamps.  A  steam 
pipe  furnished  with  a  stop-cock  leads  from  the  top  of  the  chamber  into 


io8 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


the  stove  pipe,  which  connects  with  the  chimney.     The  fuel  used  is  wood, 
coal,  or  coke. 

In  order  to  use  the  apparatus,  the  boiler  is  filled  with  water,  and  the 
fire  lighted.  The  infected  articles  are  placed  in  the  chamber,  the  top 
clamped  on,  and  the  cock  (R  K)  on  the  steam  pipe  turned  off  in  order 
to  raise  the  pressure  in  the  chamber.  This  need  not,  indeed,  cannot,  be 
raised  much  above  the  ordinary  pressure  of  the  atmosphere.  The  steam 
given  off  from  the  open  surface  of  the  boiler  penetrates  the  objects  to  be 
disinfected,  and  rapidly  destroys  all  pathogenic  organisms.     By  means 


J^fr/Uu**  <UL 


Amtti 


Fi^.    2Q. 


of  this  apparatus  M.  Gibier  claims  to  have  sterilized  cultures  of  the  mi- 
crobes of  cholera,  typhoid  fever,  pneumonia,  septicaemia,  yeast,  charbon, 
and  aspergillus  in  the  centre  of  a  feather  bed  after  exposure  for  two  hours. 
This  would  be  quite  a  satisfactory  test,  if  the  size  (thickness)  of  the 
feather  bed  had  been  civen. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISEVEECTANTS.  TOg 

M.  Gibier  does  not  aim  at  a  higher  temperature  of  the  steam  than 
ioo"  C.  (212°  F.)- 

Reck's  Patent  Steam  Disinfector. 

This  is  recommended  by  the  royal  Danish  health  authorities,  and  is 
constructed  in  two  forms.  The  cylindrical  form  consists  of  an  iron  cham- 
ber 7  ft.  long  and  3  ft.  in  diameter,  with  a  steam-tight  door  at  each  end. 
It  is  placed  horizontally  ;  and  the  building  in  which  it  is  placed  is  divid- 
ed by  a  partition  into  two  apartments, — one  for  infected  and  the  other 
for  disinfected  goods.  The  steam  is  generated  in  an  iron  boiler,  and 
enters  the  chamber  at  the  top  (f),  making  its  exit  at  the  bottom  (g). 
A  layer  of  small  stones  (P)  (fragments  of  granite)  is  put  in  the  bottom 


Fig.  30. 


of  the  chamber,  which,  by  becoming  heated  by  the  passage  of  the  steam  % 
assists  in  drying  the  air,  which  is  admitted  after  turning  off  the  steam, 
and  drying  the  disinfected  articles.  The  steam  is  not  under  pressure  ; 
hence  the  temperature  in  the  chamber  does  not  exceed  ioo°  C.  (21 2°  F.). 
A  thick  layer  of  felt  surrounds  the  chamber  to  prevent  the  rapid  escape 
of  heat.  No  record  of  experimental  tests  of  disinfecting  power  could  be 
found. 


IIO  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

Geneste,  Herscher   et  Cie's  Steam  Disinfector. 

[Scientific  American,  August  28,  1886.] 

Messrs.  Geneste  &  Herscher's  stove  consists  of  a  large,  horizontal  me- 
tallic cylinder,  forming  a  purifying  chamber  in  which  the  objects  treated 


are 
the 


directly  exposed  to  the  action  of  steam  under  pressure.     Although 
said  pressure  should  normally  correspond  to  -fno°C.  (only  about 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


Ill 


half  an  atmosphere),  and  be  regulated  by  a  safety  valve  to  a  maximum  of 
1 150  (i$  lbs.),  the  body  of  the  cylinder  is  constructed  of  iron  plate  of  a 
resistance  much  above  such  a  limit.  The  cylinder  is  surrounded  by 
an  isolating  jacket,  and  provided  with  entrance  and  exit  doors  that  are 
mounted  upon  pivots  and  move  upon  a  roller.  These  are  closed  by 
means  of  bolts,  the  joint  being  formed  of  a  circular  groove  containing  an 
clastic  and  hermetical  packing.  The  interior  of  the  stove  is  provided  at 
the  right  and  left  with  a  track  upon  which  runs  a  carriage  designed  to 
receive  the  objects  to  be  disinfected.  In  front  of  and  behind  the  cylindri- 
cal body  a  double  track  permits  the  carriage  to  put  itself  in  position 
to  be  loaded  or  unloaded,  these  two  operations  having  to  be  performed 
in  two  separate  parts  of  the  disinfecting  establishment  in  order  to  prevent 
disinfected  objects  from  getting  mixed  with  infected  ones. 

In  the  interior  of  the  stove  there  are  two  sets  of  heaters,  each  consist- 
ing of  a  row  of  iron  tubes  of  small  diameter.  One  of  these  is  at  the  top. 
is  covered  with  a  screen,  and  is  designed  to  prevent  spotting  and  wetting 
through  the  dropping  of  water  of  condensation  from  the  inner  surface  of 
the  stove.  The  other,  which  fills  the  space  below  the  carriage,  is  so 
arranged  as  to  effect  a  rapid  drying  of  the  objects  after  disinfection. 

The  objects  to  be  disinfected,  having  been  placed  upon  the  carriage, 
are  introduced  into  the  stove.  After  the  disinfection  is  completed,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  partially  open  one  of  the  doors  in  order  to  free  the  articles 
from  the  small  amount  of  dampness  that  they  possess. 


DOBROSLA VINE'S    "  SeLHYDRIC  "    DISINFECTING    STOVE. 

[Revue  (THygikne,  June,  1886.] 

This  apparatus  of  novel  construction  consists  of  a  double-walled  cylin- 
drical copper  kettle  imposed  upon  an  iron  stove.     The  latter  is  lined 


F  GrftSZ 


Fig.  32. — Elevation. 


U  IF7^ 


Fig.  33. — Longitudinal  section. 


112  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

with  fire-brick.  The  space  between  the  walls  of  the  kettle,  and  between 
the  roof  of  the  stove  and  the  bottom  of  the  copper  kettle,  is  occupied  by 
a  saline  solution  (usually  solution  of  chloride  of  sodium,  40%).  At  one 
point  (//,  Fig.  33)  is  a  little  cistern  communicating  with  the  space  be- 
tween the  perpendicular  walls.  The  communication  between  this  cis- 
tern and  the  annular  space  is  made  by  means  of  a  valve.  Having  filled 
the  space  with  the  saline  solution  until  the  latter  overflows  into  the  cis- 
tern, a  valve  with  a  float  attached  is   automatically  closed,  cutting  off 


Fig.  34—Plan  at  C,  Fig.  33.  Fig.  35—Plan  at  H,  Fig.  33. 

A. — Copper  cylinder  ;  B. — Stove  ;  C. — Flue  ;  D. — Funnel  for  filling  cistern  ;  E. — Cock  for 
emptying  cistern  ;  F. — Cock  for  emptying  saline  solution  ;  /. — Ball-valve  in  fresh- 
water cistern. 

the  communication  between  the  cistern  and  the  interparietal  cavity.  The 
cistern  is  then  filled  with  pure  water ;  and  when  the  level  of  the  saline 
solution  is  depressed  by  its  transformation  into  steam,  the  float  opens  the 
valve  and  allows  the  pure  water  to  flow  into  the  annular  boiler,  thus 
maintaining  the  saline  solution  at  a  uniform  density. 

A  lead  pipe  runs  from  the  under  surface  of  the  top  of  the  kettle  be- 
tween the  two  walls  of  the  kettle,  and  opens  into  the  disinfecting  cham- 
ber in  the  centre  of  the  bottom.  The  steam  disengaged  from  the  surface 
of  the  solution  passes  down  through  this  tube,  and  is  superheated  on  its 
passage  through  the  saline  solution.  It  enters  the  disinfecting  chamber 
at  a  temperature  equivalent  to  the  boiling  point  of  the  solution. 


Parker  &  Blackman's  Steam  Disinfecting  Apparatus  for 
Baled  Rags,  etc. 

This  apparatus  consists  of  an  ordinary  engine  of  sufficient  power  and 
boiler  strength,  with  an  attached  superheater.  To  this  is  appended  a 
series  of  iron  boxes  about  the  shape  of  and  large  enough  to  admit  a  bale 
of  rags  pushed  in  endwise.  Each  one  of  several  boxes  has  penetrating 
through  from  the  rear  end  five  gimlet-bit  screws  nearly  as  long  as  a  bale 
of  rags,  enlarged  from  a  point  to  about  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  at 
such  a  distance  apart  as  to  about  equally  divide  the  end  of  a  bale.  These 
screws  are  hollow,  and  are  perforated  in  their  whole  circumference  and 
length  ;  and,  moreover,  each  one  is  the  terminus  of  a  steam-escape  cock. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


"3 


The  screws  are  rapidly  revolved  by  the  machinery.     On  pushing  in  a 

bale  of  rags,  it  no  sooner 
comes  in  contact  with 
the  points  of  the  screws 
than  it  is  drawn  with 
great  rapidity.  The  box 
is  now  closed  by  a  flap 
door,  hinged  at  the  top, 
and  the  steam  turned  on 
e  screws 
bale.  In 
two  or  three  minutes  the 
temperature  of  the  bale 
throughout,  as  thus  ex- 
posed, can  be  raised  to 
3300  F.  (or  more,  if  re- 
quiredj,  and  sustained 
Fi»-  36-  for  any  desired  length  of 

But  they  become  so  thoroughly  penetrated  with  heat  in  ten  min- 


wwr^m  ana  ine  sieam  l 

mfrx-mfi%7\    m   through  the 
W/V;""^    and  around  the 


time. 


Fig.  37- 

utes  that  a  high  temperature  is  kept  up  tor  several  hours  after  they  are 
removed.  This  is  tested  by  pushing  a  thermometer  into  the  screw  holes. 
This  apparatus  is  patented. 

Schimmel's  Disinfecting  Apparatus   (Merke's  Design). 

This  consists  of  a  sheet-iron  chamber  with  double  walls,  the  space 
between  the  latter  being  filled  with  sawdust  in  order  to  retain  the  heat. 
In  the  interior  of  the  chamber  are  two  sets  of  steam  pipes, — one  for  heat- 
ing the  air,  and  another,  which  is  perforated,  for  the  purpose  of  liberat- 
ing steam.     The  objects  to  be  disinfected  are  introduced  into  the  disin- 


114  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

fecting  chamber,  the  steam  is  turned  on  in  the  pipes,  and  warms  the 
contained  air,  while  steam  also  escapes  into  the  chamber,  and,  penetrat- 
ing the  articles  undergoing  disinfection,  quickly  raises  the  temperature 
to  the  necessary  height  to  effectually  destroy  all  pathogenic  or  innocent 
germs.  This  apparatus  is  also  portable,  but  where  no  steam  can  be  ob- 
tained at  the  place  of  use,  a  steam  boiler  is  a  necessary  attachment. 

This  is  the  apparatus  used  in  the  public  disinfecting  station  just  erected 
in  Berlin.  By  this  apparatus,  it  is  claimed  that  infected  articles  can  be 
disinfected  in  about  forty  minutes.  Of  course  it  is  understood  that  the 
time  of  heating  up  the  chamber  is  not  included.  The  waste  steam  of 
one  of  the  public  sewage-pumping  stations  is  utilized  as  the  disinfecting 
agent. 

Dusseldorf  Disinfecting  Apparatus. 

[Fleischhamer  and  Mittenzweig :  Viertbjsehr,  f.  Gerichtl.  Med.  u.  Off.  Santsar,  Jan.  1886.] 

This  apparatus  was  constructed  for  a  public  disinfecting  station  in  the 
city  of  Dusseldorf,  Germany,  by  Messrs.  Walz  and  Windscheidt  of  that 
city-  The  disinfecting  agent  is  superheated  steam.  The  apparatus  con- 
sists of  a  disinfecting  chamber,  with  an  internal  measurement  of  2.5 
metres  (8  feet)  long,  1.5  metres  (5  feet)  high,  and  1.2  metres  (4  feet) 
broad.  The  infected  articles  are  brought  into  the  disinfector  in  an  iron 
truck,  and  the  space  in  the  chamber  filled  with  steam.  This  steam  is 
introduced  at  the  top  of  the  chamber  ;  it  is  not  under  pressure,  an  opening 
at  the  bottom  of  the  chamber  permitting  the  escape  of  the  air  as  the  tem- 
perature and  expansion  increase.  The  steam  is  superheated  by  a  separate 
furnace,  which  heats  the  walls  of  the  chamber. 

The  time  required  to  heat  the  apparatus  is  from  two  to  two  hours  and 
a  half.  The  objects  to  be  disinfected  are  then  introduced,  and  the  cham- 
ber filled  with  steam.  The  heating  then  continues  for  an  hour  and  a 
half,  when  the  objects  can  be  removed.  Experiments  made  with  various 
pathogenic  and  non-pathogenic  organisms  placed  in  the  interior  of  large 
bundles  (20)  of  blankets,  demonstrated  that  this  time  was  sufficient  for 
complete  disinfection,  even  in  the  interior  of  the  bundles.  It  is  claimed 
that  no  injury  to  the  materials  treated  resulted  when  the  temperature  in 
the  interior  of  the  chamber  was  raised  to  upward  of  1500  (3020  F.). 

The  Strasburg  Disinfecting  Station. 

(Rev.  d'Hygiene,  June,  1886.) 

In  the  city  of  Strasburg  a  public  disinfecting  station  has  been  erected, 
in  connection  with  the  municipal  hospital  for  infectious  diseases.  The 
disinfecting  apparatus  is  constructed  of  stout  boiler-plate,  with  double 
walls,  the  interspace  being  filled  with  non-conducting  material.  The 
chamber  has  a  door  3  feet  3  inches  wide,  and  6  feet  6  inches  high  at  each 
end.  The  space  between  the  two  doors  is  7  feet  6  inches.  The  disin- 
fecting agent  is  steam  under  pressure.  The  steam  boiler  is  six  horse- 
power.    The  chamber  is  also  heated  by  a  coil  of  steam  pipe,  giving  a 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  115 

large  amount  of  heating  surface.  The  amount  of  pressure  of  the  steam 
is  regulated  by  passing  the  outlet  pipe  under  water.  The  height  of  the 
column  of  water  through  which  the  escaping  steam  is  obliged  to  pass 
determines  the  pressure.  This  makes  an  efficient  safety-valve.  It  is 
estimated  that  during  times  of  epidemic  the  bedding  of  100  beds  can  be 
disinfected  in  the  course  of  twenty-four  hours,  at  this  station. 

Disinfecting   Stations   at   Boston  and    New   Orleans  Quaran- 
tines. 

At  the  Boston  quarantine  station  on  Gallop's  island,  steam  under  press- 
ure is  used  as  the  disinfecting  agent.  The  apparatus  is  described  in 
Appendix  "B"  by  Dr.  Samuel  H.  Durgin,  president  of  the  Boston 
Board  of  Health,  and  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants. 

At  the  New  Orleans  Maritime  Disinfecting  Station  at  Port  Eads,  a 
disinfecting  apparatus  on  a  large  scale  is  now  being  tested  under  the 
supervision  of  Dr.  Joseph  Holt,  president  of  the  Louisiana  State  Board 
of  Health,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants.  Dr. 
Holt  has  promised  an  extended  report  of  the  results  of  his  observations 
with  this  apparatus  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Association.  The  agent 
used  is  steam  under  pressure. 

In  the  foregoing  pages  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  give  a  succinct 
and  comprehensive  account  of  the  various  methods  in  which  heat  is 
applied  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  infectious  material.  It  will  be 
observed  that  in  most  of  the  later  forms  of  apparatus  proposed  and  in 
use,  stea?n  under  pressure  or  S7iperheated  is  the  agent  used  for  disin- 
fection. This  would  indicate  that  the  conclusion  reached  by  the  com- 
mittee in  its  general  report,  that  steam  under  pressure  is  the  most  efficient 
and  trustworthy  non-destructive  disinfectant,  is  based  upon  practical 
experience  and  observation. 

APPENDIX  "B." 

Practical   Experiences  with  Moist  Heat   (Steam  under  Pres- 
sure)  as  a  Disinfectant. 

By  S.  H.  DURGIN,  M.D.,  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Health,  of  Boston,  Mass. 

The  part  I  have  to  contribute  to  the  report  of  the  Committee  relates 
solely  to  the  use  of  moist  heat  as  a  disinfectant  in  our  city  and  in  quar- 
antine. 

In  the  spring  of  1885,  having  concluded  to  make  use  of  moist  heat,  we 
fitted  up  a  room  near  the  end  of  the  wharf  at  Gallop's  island,  in  quaran- 
tine, and  within  ten  feet  of  where  our  quarantine  steamboat  may  lie 
alongside.  This  room  is  about  ten  feet  by  twelve  feet  on  the  floor,  and 
seven  feet  in  height.  It  is  made  fairly  tight,  and  has  one  window,  on 
the  inside  of  which  is  a  thermometer,  so  arranged  as  to  permit  the  tem- 
perature of  the  room  to  be  read  from  the  outside. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

....       .  .  *       .  •»   r  t  ->       TVVWTnUf  T/^C 


1 1 6  REPOR  T  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFE  C  TA  NTS. 

A  hole  two  inches  in  diameter  is  made  in  the  door,  into  which  is  fitted 
a  strong  rubber  hose  leading  from  and  connecting  with  the  top  of  the 
boiler  in  the  steamboat.  Superheated  steam  is  discharged  through  the 
hose  into  the  room,  and  the  temperature  raised,  in  about  six  or  seven 
minutes,  to  2300  F.  It  may  easily  be  raised  to  2500  or  more,  but  is  gen- 
erally raised  to  2300,  and  held  at  that  point  for  twenty  minutes,  for  the 
disinfection  of  any  kind  of  clothing  or  other  infected  articles  which  can 
be  steamed  without  injury.  The  articles  to  be  treated  are  hung  about 
the  room  loosely,  and  when  removed  from  the  room,  which  takes  place 
as  soon  as  the  heat  will  allow,  are  found  to  be  perfectly  dry,  and  not  even 
the  polish  on  the  freshly  laundered  shirts  is  changed  or  damaged  in  the 
least.  Boots,  trunks,  valises,  and  all  other  articles  which  are  made  of 
leather,  are  quickly  destroyed  by  the  high  temperature,  and  should  not, 
therefore,  be  subjected  to  this  process.  Wood-work  and  paint  are  also 
damaged,  and  all  articles  which  are  joined  together  by  cement  fall  apart. 

In  any  place  which  is  accessible  to  the  steamboat  for  the  supply  of 
Steam  heat,  the  process  can  be  quickly  applied,  easily  managed,  is  with- 
out appreciable  cost,  and  its  trustworthiness  as  a  disinfectant,  when  the 
necessary  conditions  are  complied  with,  has  been  well  established  by  Dr. 
Sternberg  and  others. 

In  March,  18S5,  a  company  proposing  to  disinfect  rags  in  the  bale  by 
the  use  of  superheated  steam,  and  having  secured  the  confidence  of  the 
Board  of  Health,  established  a  plant  in  the  Charlestown  district  of  our 
city,  close  to  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  docks,  where  the  Board  of  Health  permit- 
ted rags  in  bale  to  be  sent  for  disinfection.  The  requisite  furnaces,  boilers, 
and  steam  pipes  for  making  and  delivering  moist  heat  at  a  very  high  tem- 
perature were  provided.  Strong  boxes,  large  enough  to  contain  one  bale 
each,  with  hollow  perforated  screws,  four  or  five  feet  in  length,  passing 
within  and  fitted  to  one  end  of  the  box,  were  arranged.  Everything  be- 
ing ready,  the  Board  of  Health  was  notified,  and  the  following  process 
witnessed  :  The  screws  were  set  in  motion  by  steam  power,  when  a  mod- 
erate pressure  of  the  bale  of  rags  against  them  was  sufficient  to  draw  the 
bale  into  the  box  on  the  perforated  hollow  screw.  This  being  done,  the 
end  of  the  box  was  closed  tightly,  and  the  steam  discharged  through  the 
hollow  screw  into  the  centre  of  the  bale.  A  pyrometer  situated  on  the 
box  and  reaching  within  indicated  the  temperature  of  the  steam  after  es- 
caping from  the  bale  of  rags  at  3000  F.  After  three  minutes  the  pressure 
was  relieved  by  an  exhaust,  the  box  opened,  and  the  bale  removed,  when 
the  hot  steam  appeared  to  issue  from  every  square  inch  of  its  surface. 
Not  only  did  appearances  favor  the  belief  that  this  was  a  perfect  disin- 
fection of  the  whole  bale  of  rags,  but  the  experiments  of  eminent  bacteri- 
ologists had  already  shown  that  disease  germs  of  the  greatest  resisting 
power  had  been  sterilized  within  the  bale  of  rags  which  passed  through 
this  process.  I  then  certified  my  belief  that  this  process  was  effectual  in 
its  power  to  disinfect  bales  of  rags.  A  few  days  later,  in  the  month  of 
April,  I  made  another  examination  of  the  process  by  thrusting  my  fingers 
into  various  parts  of  the  bale  immediately  on  its  removal  from  the  steam- 


RE  FOR  T  OF  COMMITTEE  OAT  DISINFECTA  NTS.  1 1 7 

box,  when  to  my  surprise  I  found  bunches  of  rags  perfectly  cold,  while 
rags  within  two  inches  of  them  were  intensely  hot.  This  fact  was  com- 
municated to  the  management,  when  greater  heat  and  longer  time  was 
ordered  and  used. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1885,  another  examination  was  made,  Dr.  Smith, 
health  officer  of  New  York,  Dr.  Raymond,  health  commissioner  of 
Brooklyn,  Dr.  Abbott,  of  the  Massachusetts  State  Board  of  Health,  Drs. 
Griffin  and  Cogswell,  our  port  physicians,  and  the  city  Board  of  Health 
being  present.  At  this  time,  the  degree  of  the  moist  heat  used  was  350° 
F.,  and  the  time  allowed  to  each  bale  was  four  minutes.  When  the  bales 
"were  removed  from  the  steam-box,  they  were  immediately  examined  with 
the  fingers  squeezed  into  the  bale  through  holes  cut  in  the  sacks.  The 
fingers  generally  came  in  contact  with  heat  too  intense  to  be  borne  for  a 
moment,  but  by  persevering  the  cold  places  were  found  and  examined 
by  the  gentlemen  present.  It  was  subsequently  determined  by  the  man- 
agers of  the  process  to  use  a  higher  degree  of  moist  heat,  and  to  expose 
the  rags  to  it  for  a  longer  time.  Much  unfavorable  criticism  of  this 
method  of  disinfecting  rags  had  then  been  provoked,  and  the  question  as 
to  whether  thorough  disinfection  could  be  accomplished  in  this  way  was 
being  seriously  discussed. 

In  August,  1886, 1  made  another  examination.  I  found  at  this  time  moist 
heat  being  injected  into  the  bale  at  5000  F.,  as  indicated  by  the  pyrome- 
ter just  before  entering  the  bale,  and  the  time  given  to  each  bale  was 
eight  minutes,  a  slight  exhaust  being  allowed  from  the  box  all  the  time. 
I  examined  three  bales  as  they  were  removed  from  the  steam-box,  and 
although  with  more  difficulty  than  on  previous  occasions,  yet  the  cold 
places  were  found  by  the  use  of  the  fingers  within  the  bale,  and  witnessed 
by  the  overseer. 

I  was  informed  by  the  overseer  that  a  large  number  of  bales  had  been 
$et  on  fire  by  this  last  method,  and  that  water  had  been  required  to  ex- 
tinguish it. 

The  works  were  closed  up  in  August,  and  have  not  since  been  oper- 
ated. The  conclusions  to  be  drawn  from  these  experiences  seem  to  be 
ihat  the  moist  heat  passing  from  the  centre  to  the  surface  of  a  bale  of 
rags  must  encounter  knots  or  bunches  of  rags  varying  in  degrees  of  den- 
sity and  of  resistance  to  the  penetration  of  heat;  that  while  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  principal  part  of  the  bale  is  raised  to  a  degree  far  above  what 
is  required  for  disinfection,  other  parts  of  the  bale  are  found  to  be  wholly 
unaffected  by  the  heat ;  that  anthrax  bacilli  having  been  killed  and  met- 
als melted  at  2400  F.  within  bales  of  rags  subjected  to  this  process,  are 
facts  not  inconsistent  with  the  experiences  here  given,  and  do  not  prove 
the  disinfection  of  the  whole  bale.  The  degree  of  heat,  the  amount  of 
pressure,  and  the  time  necessary  for  moist  heat  to  penetrate  and  raise  the 
temperature  of  all  parts  of  a  bale  of  rags  to  a  degree  necessary  for  disin- 
fection without  burning  the  rags,  have  not  yet,  so  far  as  I  am  aware, 
been  declared. 


COMMITTEE    ON    DISINFECTANTS,  1^87. 


REPORT  OF  THE  CHAIRMAN  OF  THE  COMMITTEE. 

INTRODUCTION. 

Various  circumstances  prevented  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants  from 
undertaking  any  experimental  work  during  the  year  intervening  between 
the  meeting  in  Washington  (1SS5)  and  that  in  Toronto  (1S86).  But 
having  learned  at  the  Toronto  meeting  that  a  small  fund,  contributed 
mainly  by  state  boards  of  health,  was  subject  to  its  orders,  a  continuance 
of  the  experimental  work  commenced  in  1S85  was  determined  upon, 
and  by  a  vote  of  the  committee  was  entrusted  to  the  chairman. 

In  the  report  previously  submitted,  the  committee,  after  considering 
the  experimental  evidence  available,  recommended  for  practical  use,  in  the 
disinfection  of  clothing,  excreta,  dwellings,  ships,  hospitals,  etc.,  a  lim- 
ited number  of  chemical  agents,  and  the  use  of  steam  or  boiling  water  in 
those  cases  in  which  disinfection  by  heat  was  practicable.  Specific 
directions  were  given  for  the  use  of  the  various  agents  recommended 
{vide  Vol.  XI,  Reports  and  Papers  of  the  A.  P.  H.  A.,  pp.  272-282). 
The  following  agents  were  recommended  in  the  report  referred  to  : 

CONCLUSIONS. 

The  experimental  evidence  recorded  in  this  report  seems  to  justify  the  following  con- 
clusions : 

The  most  useful  agents  for  the  destruction  of  spore-containing  infectious  material  are, — 

1.  Fire.     Complete  destruction  by  burning. 

2.  Steam  under  pressure.     no°  C.  (230°  Fahr.)  for  ten  minutes. 

3.  Boiling  in  water  for  one  hour. 

4.  Chloride  of  lime.     A  4  per  cent,  solution. 

5.  Mercuric  chloride.     A  solution  of  1  :  500. 

For  the  destruction  of  infectious  material  which  owes  its  infecting  power  to  the  pres- 
ence of  micro-organisms  not  containing  scores,  the  committee  recommends, — 

1.  Fire.     Complete  destruction  by  burning. 

2.  Boiling  in  water  half  an  hour. 

3.  Dry  heat,  uo°  C.  (2300  Fahr.)  for  two  hours. 

4.  Chloride  of  lime,  1  to  4  per  cent,  solution. 

5.  Solution  of  chlorinated  soda,  5  to  20  per  cent,  solution. 

6.  Mercuric  chloride.     A  solution  of  I  :  1,000  to  1  : 4,000. 

7.  Sulphur  dioxide.     Fxposure  for  twelve  hours  to  an  atmosphere  containing  at  least  4 

volumes  per  cent,  of  this  gas,  preferably  in  presence  of  moisture. 

8.  Carbolic  acid,  2  to  5  per  cent,  solution. 

9.  Sulphate  of  copper,  2  to  5  per  cent,  solution. 
10.  Chloride  of  zinc,  4  to  10  per  cent,  solution. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 19 

The  agents  named  in  this  list  are  all  comparatively  cheap,  and  leave 
scarcely  anything  to  be  desired  from  a  practical  point  of  view,  if  they  are 
efficient  in  the  proportions  named,  and  for  the  purposes  specifically  stated 
in  the  report  referred  to. 

The  immediate  reason  for  appointing  a  Committee  on  Disinfectants 
was  the  prospect  that  our  country  might  soon  be  invaded  by  cholera, 
and  the  general  desire  among  sanitarians  to  have  some  reliable  data  upon 
which  to  base  their  practical  efforts  to  restrict  the  progress  of  this  and 
other  infectious  diseases.  Keeping  in  view  this  object,  and  the  fact  that 
the  funds  at  the  disposal  of  the  committee  have  been  for  the  most  part 
contributed  by  state  boards  of  health,  it  has  seemed  advisable  to  make 
further  tests  of  the  agents  heretofore  recommended  rather  than  to  seek 
new  and  possibly  expensive  chemical  agents,  which  might  have  equal 
or  superior  potency  for  the  destruction  of  pathogenic  organisms. 

The  object  in  view  in  our  first  series  of  experiments  was  to  obtain  as 
quickly  as  possible  data  which  might  serve  to  guide  us  in  making  prac- 
tical recommendations  in  advance  of  the  threatened  epidemic  of  cholera. 
After  making  a  very  thorough  search  of  the  literature  of  the  subject,  and 
tabulating  the  experimental  data  from  various  sources,  the  experimental 
work  recorded  in  our  previous  report  was  carried  out.  It  will  be  seen, 
upon  reference  to  the  record  of  experiments  made,  that  the  test  employed 
in  a  considerable  proportion  of  these  was  the  power  of  the  agent  to 
destroy  the  vitality  of  the  bacteria  of  putrefaction,  as  found  in  "  broken 
down  beef  tea."  The  writer  was  aware  that  this  test  was  open  to  the  criti- 
cism that  the  material  to  be  disinfected  did  not  contain  any  pathogenic 
organisms,  and  for  this  reason  cultures  of  the  anthrax  bacillus  were  added 
to  the  putrefying  beef  infusion  in  a  certain  proportion  of  the  experiments  ; 
and  other  experiments  were  made  upon  pure  cultures  of  the  anthrax 
bacillus,  as  well  as  upon  cultures  of  micrococci  from  various  sources, 
some  no  doubt  pathogenic.  But  the  writer's  own  previous  experiments, 
and  a  consideration  of  the  literature  of  the  subject,  had  convinced  him 
that  all  known  pathogenic  organisms  have  less  resisting  power  to  heat 
and  to  chemical  agents  than  have  the  spores  of  various  bacilli  commonly 
found  in  putrefying  beef  tea,  which  has  been  freely  exposed  to  the  air. 
Among  the  pathogenic  organisms  known,  the  anthrax  bacillus,  in  the 
spore-stage,  has  the  greatest  resistance  to  destructive  agents.  The  test 
employed  was  therefore  believed  to  be  the  most  severe  one  available,  and 
the  data  obtained  to  be  applicable  in  a  general  way  to  all  pathogenic 
organisms  of  the  same  class. 

As  the  time  and  money  at  our  disposal  did  not  admit  of  an  extended 
experimental  inquiry  as  to  the  resisting  power  of  each  known  pathogenic 
organism  to  each  of  the  agents  tested,  the  more  general  test  referred  to 
was  employed.  In  resuming  our  experiments,  however,  it  has  seemed 
best  to  test  our  conclusions,  based  upon  the  data  indicated,  by  experi- 
ments made  with  the  same  agents  upon  pure  cultures  of  the  various 
pathogenic  and  non-pathogenic  bacteria  available  for  such  purpose. 

It   is  a   matter  of  general    scientific   interest,  as  well    as  of  practical 


120  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

importance,  to  know  whether  various  organisms  of  this  class  differ  great- 
ly as  to  their  resisting  power  to  the  same  agent,  or  whether  an  agent 
which  is  fatal  to  one  of  thess  organisms,  in  a  certain  proportion,  is  capa- 
ble of  destroying  all  others  in  something  near  the  same  amount.  The 
wide  difference  in  the  resisting  power  of  spores,  and  of  micro-organisms 
in  the  absence  of  spores,  was  fully  brought  out  in  our  previous  report. 
In  recording  the  experimental  work  accomplished  by  myself  and  under 
my  direction  during  the  past  year,  I  shall  discuss  in  succession  the  data 
relating  to  the  several  agents  named  in  the  above  quotation  from  the 
previous  report  of  the  committee,  in  the  order  therein  given.  My  own 
time  has  been  given  chiefly  to  experiments  relating  to  the  thermal  death- 
point  of  micro-organisms.  Other  duties  have  prevented  me  from  giving 
as  much  time  to  laboratory  work  as  I  could  have  wished.  But  I  have 
been  fortunate  in  securing  the  services  of  a  gentleman  well  qualified  for 
carrying  out  that  part  of  the  work  which  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  do 
myself.  The  experiments  upon  chemical  disinfectants  have  been  made 
under  my  direction  by  Dr.  Meade  Bolton,  who  returned  from  Germany 
about  the  time  that  I  was  ready  to  commence  these  experiments.  Dr. 
Bolton  had  spent  a  considerable  time  in  the  laboratories  of  Prof.  Fliigge 
in  Gottingen,  and  of  Prof.  Koch  in  Berlin,  and  his  special  training  and 
published  papers  are  a  sufficient  guaranty  as  to  the  scientific  accuracy 
of  his  work. 

TEST    ORGANISMS    EMPLOYED. 

Pure  cultures  of  the  various  organisms  which  have  served  as  a  test  of 
the  germicide  power  of  the  agents  tested  have  been  obtained,  for  the 
most  part,  from  the  laboratories  of  Germany,  and  especially  from  that  of 
Prof.  Koch  in  Berlin.  The  purity  of  the  cultures  has  been  maintained, 
when  necessary,  by  the  plate  method,  and  the  identity  of  each  species 
has  been  verified  by  a  careful  study  of  its  morphological  and  biological 
characters,  and  a  comparison  of  the  same  with  those  given  in  standard 
works  upon  bacteriology.1 

As  some  of  these  organisms  are  scarcely  known  except  to  bacteriolo- 
gists, a  brief  account  of  the  characters  by  which  they  may  be  distinguished 
will  be  given  here. 

SPIRILLA. 

i.  Spirillum  of  Asiatic  cholera  ("  comma  bacillus,"  of  Koch).  This 
organism,  discovered  by  Koch,  in  1884,  in  the  rice-water  discharges,  of 
patients  suffering  from  cholera,  is  now  pretty  generally  believed  to  be  the 
essential  etiological  factor  in  the  causation  of  this  disease.  It  must  be 
admitted  that  the  experimental  proof  that  this  is  the  case  is  not  as  satis- 
factory as  could  be  desired,  but  the  constant  presence  of  the"  comma 
bacillus  "  in  the  alvine  discharges  of  cholera  patients  seems  to  be  well 
established,  and  the  weight  of  evidence  is  certainly  in  favor  of  the  view 
that  it  bears  a  causal  relation  to  the  disease. 

^Eisenberg,  "  Bakteriologische  Diagnostik.     Fliigge,  "  Die  Mikro-Organismen,"  2d  ed. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


121 


The  stock  which  has  served  for  our  experiments  upon  this  organism 
was  brought  by  Dr.  Bolton  from  Germany.  Our  experiments  were 
made  during  the  winter  months,  and  every  precaution  was  taken  to  pre- 
vent accident.  The  possibility  of  accident  from  the  careless  handling  of 
such  material  is  evident,  and  in  one  instance  it  is  said  to  have  occurred 
in  the  case  of  a  student  in  one  of  the  German  laboratories,  who  suffered 
an  attack  of  cholera  while  working  with  cultures  of  the  spirillum  under 
consideration.  It  is  reported  that  the  organism  was  found  in  abundance 
in  his  alvine  discharges.  The  danger  to  the  individual  is,  however,  a 
small  matter  compared  with  the  responsibility  which  rests  upon  the 
experimenter  in  view  of  the  pos-  a 

sible    danger    to    the    community.  \  vv 

This  responsibility  I  have  had  con-  \  '\Xr    i-r 

stantly  in  view ;  and  having  com-  \       V>  ""oVi1*^^*"' 

pleted  my  experiments  during  the  X^^^^v   )uY&l  oC^S^^ 

winter    months,  I   have  taken  the     j-      rf  fy  K  O^ fjjj^v£^>^" 
precaution  to    destroy    all    of  the      /        *&££**'" 
cultures  in  my  hands.  -*^^ 

The  morphology  of  the    cholera      F'^  l'  From  "  Die  Mikro-Organismen,"  P.  341. 
spirillum   is  shown  in  Fig.  I,  which   is  taken  from  the  recent  work  of 
Fliigge.1     The  drawing  is  from  a  cover-glass  preparation  of  a  pure  cult- 
ure in  beef-infusion  (after  Koch).     The  amplification  is  600  diameters. 

The  cholera  spirillum  grows  best  at  a  temperature  of  30-40°  C. 
(86-1040  Fahr.).     At   160   C.    (60.80   Fahr.)  growth  appears  to    cease 


Fig  2.  "  Die  Mikro-Organismen,"  p.  346.  Fig.  3.  "  Die  Mikro-Organismen,"  p.  383. 

(Eisenberg).  It  is  not  destroyed  by  exposure  for  some  hours  to  a  tem- 
perature of  —  io°  C.  ( — 1 8°  Fahr.).  It  grows  readily  in  a  variety  of  media, 
and  is  endowed  with  active  movements.  It  liquefies  solidified  blood- 
serum    and    gelatine.      It  is    distinguished  from   allied  species — cheese 

1 "  Die  Mikro-Organismen,"  p.  341. 


122 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


d 

P  345- 


spirillum    and  Finkler-Prior   spirillum —  by  its  growth    in  gelatine  and 
by  the  form  of  very  young  colonies  in  gelatine  plate-cultures. 

Figure  2  represents  the  growth  of  the  cholera  spirillum  in  flesh- 
peptone  gelatine  at  the  end  of  two  and  of  four  days.  Fig.  31  represents 
the  growth  of  the  Finkler-Prior  spirillum  in  the  same  medium  at  the  end 
of  the  same  time. 

Figures  4,  5,  and  6,  also  taken  from 
Fliigge's  recent  work,  represent  the  colo- 
nies as  seen  upon  gelatine  plates  of  the 
cholera  spirillum  (Fig.  4),  the  Finkler- 
Prior  spirillum    (Fig.    5),  and  the  cheese 

Fig.4.  "Die  Mikro-Organismen/' p  345.  spirjllum  of  Deneke   (Fig-  6). 

In  Fig.  4  we  have  at  a  the  appearance  of  a  colony  at  the  end  of  20 
hours,  at  b  of  30  hours,  at  c  after  36  hours,  at  d  after  48  hours.  Lique- 
faction of  the  gelatine  has  already  commenced  at  c,  and  at  d  the  colony 
has  sunken  to  the  bottom  of  the  funnel-shaped  depression  in  the  gelatine* 
caused  by  liquefaction  about  it. 

In  Fig.   5,  a  represents   a    colony  at  the  end   of  16  hours,  b  after  24 
hours,  c  after  36  hours.    It  will  be  observed  that 
not  only  is  the  appearance  of  the  young  colonies 
different,  but  growth  is  more  rapid,  and  com-   0^ 
plete  liquefaction  around  the  colony  has  occurred 
at  the  end  of  36  hours. 

Figure    6    represents    colonies    of  the  cheese  Fi    » 
spirillum    at   the    end   of   similar    intervals    of 
time  —  a   16  hours,    b    24    hours,    c   36   hours. 

There  is  no  evidence  that  the  cholera  spirillum,  or  the  allied  organisms 
referred  to,  form  endogenous  spores  during  any  part  of  their  life  cycle. 
It  has  been  claimed,  however,  by  Hueppe,  that  reproductive  bodies  of 
another  kind — the  so-called  arthrospores — are  formed  under  certain  cir- 
cumstances. These  are  spherical  bodies,  which  are  developed  from  the 
spiral  filaments,  and  not  in  their  interior.     It  is  still  a  question  whether 

these  spherical  bodies  are  the  result  of  retro- 
grade changes  in  the  spirilla,  or  whether  they 
are  reproductive  elements,  as  Hueppe  claims 
to  have  demonstrated  by  direct  observation. 
The  numerous  experiments  of  Koch  and  his 
pupils  show  that  the  cholera  spirillum  is  very 
promptly  destroyed  by  desiccation,  and  this 
fact  is  opposed  to  the  view  that  it  forms 
spores.  In  a  moist  condition  the  spirillum  may  retain  its  vitality  in 
culture   media  for  many  months  (at  least  nine). 

2.  Finkler-Prior  spirillum.  This  organism,  obtained  by  Finkler 
and  Prior  from  the  dejections  of  patients  suffering  from  sporadic  chol- 
era—  cholera  nostras, — was  at  first  supposed  by  them  to  be  identical 
with  the  "comma  bacillus  "  of  Koch.      This  has  been  shown  not  to  be 

1  Figures  2  and  3  are  taken  from  "  Die  Mikro-Organismen,"  pp.  346  and  383. 


Die  Mikro-Organismen,* 
P- 383. 


Fig.  6. 


Die  Mikro-Organismen, 
P-  387. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


123 


true,  and  the  researches  of  Koch  and  his  pupils  have  established  the  fact 
that  there  are  constant  differences  in  the  mode  of  growth  in  gelatine, 
etc.,  which  make  it  apparent  that  this  is  a  distinct  species,  or,  at  all 
events,  a  well  established  variety. 

3.  Cheese  spirillutn  of  Deneke.  This  organism,  which  was  obtained 
by  one  of  Fliigge's  pupils  in  some  old  cheese  which  had  been  kept  for 
some  time  in  the  laboratory,  resembles  the  cholera  spirillum  even  more 
closely  than  does  the  Finkler-Prior  spirillum.  There  is,  however,  a 
very  perceptible  and  constant  difference  to  be  distinguished  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  young  colonies  in  gelatine  plate-cultures.  According  to 
Fliigge,  this  spirillum  does  not  grow  upon  cooked  potato  either  at  the 
room  temperature  or  in  the  incubating  oven.  Deneke,  in  a  limited  num- 
ber of  experiments  upon  Guinea-pigs,  failed  to  obtain  any  evidence  that 
this  spirillum  is  a  pathogenic  organism.  In  a  comparative  experiment 
made  upon  six  Guinea-pigs  with  pure  cultures  of  the  three  species  of 
spirillum  referred  to,  by  injection  into  the  duodenum  (Koch's  method), 
Deneke  obtained  a  negative  result  from  the  two  animals  inoculated  with 
the  Finkler-Prior  and  in  the  two  inoculated  with  the  cheese  spirillum, 
while  both  of  those  inoculated  with  the  cholera  spirillum  died. 

BACILLI. 


1.  The  bacillus  of  typhoid  fever.  This  bacillus,  first  described  by 
Eberth  in  1S80,  is  constantly  found  in  the  spleen  of  typhoid  fever  cases, 
both  post  mortem  and  during  life.  The  bacillus  is  also  present  in  the 
liver,  the  mesenteric  glands,  and  in  a  certain  proportion  of  the  cases  in 
the  kidney.  The  appearance  of  colonies  in  stained  sections  of  the  spleen 
is  shown  in  Figs.  7  and  8. 


Two  colonies  are  seen  in  Fig.  7  (at  a  #),  as  they  appear  under  a  low 
power — about  60  diameters.  In  Fig.  S  one  of  these  colonies  is  seen  more 
highly  magnified — about  500  diameters.1 

1  These  figures  were  drawn  for  the  writer  by  Dr.  A.  C.  Abbott  to  illustrate  a  paper  read  before 
the  Association  of  American  Physicians  in  June,  1SS6. 


124 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    0Ar  DISINFECTANTS. 


As  in  the  case  of  the  spirillum  of  Asiatic  cholera,  experiments  upon 
the  lower  animals  have  not  served  to  prove  in  a  satisfactory  manner  the 
etiological  relation  of  this  bacillus  to  the  disease  with  which  it  is  asso- 
ciated. But  the  fact  that  the  lower  animals  are  not  susceptible  to  certain 
specific  infectious  diseases  to  which  man  is  subject,  is  in  accord  with  our 
knowledge  relating  to  infectious  diseases  in  general.  A  failure  to 
obtain  experimental  proof  of  the  etiological  relation  of  a  micro-organism, 
by  experiments  upon  animals  which  do  not  suffer  the  disease  under  in- 
vestigation in  a  natural  way,'  is  by  no  means  opposed  to  the  view  that 
such  etiological  relation  exists.  And,  in  the  present  state  of  science,  it 
may  be  said  that  the  probabilities  are  altogether  in  favor  of  such  a  rela- 
tion when  a  specific  organism  is  found  to  be  constantly  present  in  the 
tissues  involved  in  a  specific  morbid  process.  The  very  extended  re- 
searches made  during  the  past  two  or  three  years  justify  the  belief  that 
the  bacillus  in  question  is  the  cause  of  typhoid  fever,  and  on  account  of 
the  wide  prevalence  of  this  disease  in  the  United  States,  and  the  impor- 
tance of  measures  of  disinfection  for  its  restriction,  it  has  been  largely 


Fig.  9.  From  "  Die  Mikro-Organismen." 

used  as  a  test  organism  in  the   experimental  research  recorded  in  this 
report. 

The  characters  by  which  this  bacillus  may  be  recognized  are  given  by 
JEisenberg1  as  follows : 

1  Bakteriologische  Diagnostik. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 25 

Morphology. — Bacilli,  three  times  as  long  as  broad,  with  rounded  ends,  may  grow  to- 
long  threads — scheinfdden — and  are  also  found  as  very  short  rods ;  are  mobile,  and 
probably  possess  flagella ;  take  the  aniline  colors  less  intensely  than  most  similar  or- 
ganisms. 

Growth. —  Upon  gelatine  plates :  superficial  grayish-white  colonies  with  serrated  mar- 
gins ;  under  a  low  power  these  resemble  glass-wool,  and  have  a  brownish  lustre.  Stick- 
cultures  in  gelatine :  growth,  for  the  most  part  superficial,  in  the  form  of  a  grayish-white 
layer  with  serrated  margins;  but  little  growth  along  the  track  of  the  needle.  Upon  agar- 
agar:  superficial  growth  of  a  whitish  color.  Upon  potato:  invisible  growth ;  after  forty- 
eight  hours  the  pieces  of  potato  have  a  moist  appearance ;  when  the  surface  is  disturbed 
with  a  platinum  needle,  one  receives  the  impression  that  it  is  covered  with  a  cohering 
film ;  under  the  microscope  this  is  found  to  consist  of  long  spore-bearing  threads  of 
typhus  bacilli.  Upon  blood-serum  :  grows  only  along  the  track  of  the  needle  as  a  milk- 
white  layer ;  grows  slowly. 

Spore-formation. — At  32°-40°  C.  spores  are  formed  in  the  course  of  three  .or  four 
days ;  these  are  located  at  the  ends  of  the  rods.  .  At  200  C.  spores  are  formed  after  a 
longer  period ;  at  lower  temperatures  than  this,  spores  are  no  longer  formed. 

2.  Bacillus  anthracis.  This  is 
an  organism  which  is  pathogenic 
for  man  as  well  as  for  many  of 
the  lower  animals.  It  does  not 
form  spores  within  the  body  of 
an  infected  animal,  but  in  artifi- 
cial culture-media,  in  the  presence 
of  oxygen,  it  forms  endogenous 
spores  which  have  great  resisting 
power  to  heat  and  to  chemical 
agents. 

Fig.  9,  taken  from  Fliigge's 
work,  shows  the  anthrax  bacillus 
in  a  thin  section  from  the  liver 
of  an  animal  dead  from  the  dis- 
ease. The  amplification  is  700 
diameters. 

In  Fig.  io1  the  formation  of 
spores  in  an  artificial  culture 
medium    is   represented. 

In  Fig.  1 1  the  appearance  of  a  colony  in  a  gelatine  plate-culture  is 
shown.  At  a  a  colony  24  hours  old,  and  at  b  one  at  the  end  of  48  hours 
(from  Fliigge  op.  cit.). 

3.  Bacillus  of  rouge  t  (Pasteur). 

4.  Bacillus  of  schwincrothlauf  (Loffler,  Shutz). 

5.  Bacillus  of  inouse-scpticcemia  (Koch). 

Schwincrothlauf  of  the  Germans,  and  rouget  of  the  French,  are  no 
doubt  identical  diseases.  My  cultures,  obtained  in  the  first  instance  from 
Pasteur's  laboratory  in  Paris  and  Koch's  laboratory  in  Berlin,  show  no 
differences  in  the  morpholgy  or  mode  of  growth  of  the  organisms  as 
obtained  from  the  two  sources.     The  bacillus  of  mouse-septicaemia,  first 


'Fig.  10.  Klein's  u  Micro-Organisms  and  Disease. 


1  From  Klein's  "  Micro-Organisms  and  Disease.' 


126 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


described  by  Koch  in  1878,  is  also  apparently  identical  with  the  above. 
Eisenberg  says,  with  reference  to  the  bacillus  of  schwinerothlauf.  that 
"  in  its  form,  as  well  as  in  its  behavior  to  culture  media,  it  is  very  simi- 
lar to  the  bacillus  of  mouse-septicaemia,  perhaps  identical."  Fliigge 
also  refers  to  the  similarity  in  form  and  pathogenic  properties,  but  de- 
scribes the  bacilli  under  different  headings.  I  have  not  been  able  to 
discover  any  difference  in  the  morphology  of  the  bacillus  in  my  pure 
cultures  from  Koch's  laboratory  under  the  two  names,  or  in  the  mode  of 
growth  in  gelatine. 

Eisenberg  describes  the  bacillus  of  mousersepticaemia  as  follows  :  Very 
small  rods — 0.8  to  1.0  ft  long,  0.1  to  0.2  ;j.  thick — frequently  united  in 
pairs;  motionless;  growth  in  gelatine  slow,  in  the  form  of  white,  deli- 
cately blending  clouds,  which  are  diffused  through  the  gelatine  (along 


Fig.  11.  From  "Die  Mikro-Organismen." 

the  line  of  puncture  in  stick-cultures).  The  gelatine  is  not  liquefied,  and 
the  bacillus  is  said  to  form  spores. 

The  bacillus  of  schwinerothlauf  and  mouse-septicaemia  is  pathogenic 
for  swine,  for  field-mice,  for  pigeons,  and  in  a  less  degree  for  rabbits. 
Sheep  and  young  cattle  are  also  said  to  be  susceptible  (to  the  rothlauf 
bacillus).     Guinea-pigs  and  domestic  fowls  are  insusceptible. 

The  bacillus  of  mouse-septicaemia  is  shown  in  Fig.  12,  which  has  been 
copied  from  Koch's  original  memoir,1  in  which  it  is  described  as  fol- 
lows : 

The  bacilli  lie  singly  or  in  small  groups  between  the  red  blood  corpuscles,  and  have  a 
length  of  .8  to  1  ,,.,  Their  thickness,  which  cannot  be  measured  accurately,  but  only  ap- 
proximately estimated,  is  about  .1  to  .2  p.      .      .      .      One  often  sees  the  bacilli  in  septi- 

1  "  Traumatic  Infective  Diseases,''  Sydenham  Societies'  Translation,  1880. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


127 


caemic  blood  attached  to  each  other  in  pairs,  either  in  straight  lines  or  forming  an 
obtuse  angle.  Chains  of  three  or  four  bacilli  also  occur,  but  they  are  rare.  .  .  . 
Without  the  use  of  staining  materials,  the  bacilli  can  only  with  extreme  difficulty  be 
recognized  in  fresh  blood,  even  when  one  is  familiar  with  their  form ;  and  I  have  not 
been  able  to  obtain  any  certain  evidence  as  to  whether  they  move  or  not.  Their  relation 
to  the  white  blood  corpuscles  is  peculiar.  They  penetrate  these,  and  multiply  in  their 
interior.  One  often  finds  that  there  is  hardly  a  single  white  corpuscle  in  the  interior  of 
which  bacilli  cannot  be  seen.  Many  corpuscles  contain  isolated  bacilli  only;  others 
have  thick  masses  in  their  interior. 

The  appearance  of  the  growth  in  a  gelatine 
•' stick-culture"  is  shown  in  Fig.  13,  which  is 
taken  from  Fliigge's  work,  heretofore  referred  to. 

In  the  figure,  a  represents  a  culture  of  the 
schwinerothlauf  bacillus  in  gelatine,  and  b  a 
colony  of  the  same  bacillus  upon  a  gelatine  plate. 

6.  Emmerich's  bacillus.  This  is  a  patho- 
genic organism  obtained  by  Emmerich  from  the 

r.        ,  ,  r-T-ii  1  i«     1       *  Fig-  12.  White  blood-corpuscles 

blood   and   organs  of  individuals  who  died   of   from  one  0f  the  veins  of  the  di- 
cholera  during    the    Naples    epidemic   of   18S4,    aphragm  of  a  septicaemic  mouse. 
and    supposed   by  him  to  be  the    cause    of  the    x  7°°- 
disease.      He    has   failed,    however,    to    establish    any    etiological    rela- 
tion between  this  bacillus  and  cholera,  and  Koch  and  his  pupils  have 

shown  that  the  same  bacillus  may 
be  obtained  from  the  intestinal 
contents  of  individuals  dying  from 
various  other  diseases.  When  in- 
jected in  considerable  quantity  into 
the  sub-cutaneous  connective  tis- 
sue of  Guinea-pigs,  or  into  the 
cavity  of  the  abdomen,  death  fol- 
lows in  from  30  to  48  hours. 

7.  Brieger's  bacillus.  This  ba- 
cillus, obtained  by  Brieger  from 
feces,  is  pathogenic  for  Guinea- 
pigs.  The  animals  die  within  72 
hours  after  a  sub-cutaneous  injec- 
tion, and  the  bacillus  is  found  in 
the  blood.  The  bacilli  are  short 
rods,  about  twice  as  long  as  broad. 

8.  Bacillus  of  Friedlander. 
The  so-called  "  pneumococcus  " 
of  Friedlander  is  described  by 
recent    German    authorities    as    a 

bacillus.  The  claim  that  it  is  the  specific  agent  concerned  in  the 
etiology  of  croupous  pneumonia  is  not  sustained  by  Friedlander's 
experiments,  or  by  the  researches  of  subsequent  investigators.  The 
most  that  can  be  claimed  for  it  is  that  it  is  one  of  several  micro- 
organisms which   are  frequently  found  in  the  exudate   into  the  alveoli 


Fat 


Die  Mikro-Organismen." 


128  REPORT  OF   COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

in  cases  of  pneumonia,  and  which  possibly  bear  a  causal  relation  to 
the  disease.  This  bacillus  is  pathogenic  for  mice  and  for  Guinea- 
pigs,  but  not  for  rabbits.  Stick-cultures  in  gelatine  present  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  nail,  the  body  being  formed  by  the  growth  along  the 
line  traversed  by  the  platinum  needle  in  making  the  puncture,  and 
the  head  by  a  rounded  mass  which  develops  upon  the  surface  of 
the  gelatine  around  the  point  and  where  the  needle  entered.  This 
mode  of  growth  is  not  peculiar  to  the  bacillus  in  question.  The  so- 
called  capsule  which  is  seen  especially  in  preparations  (stained  by 
Gram's  method)  of  blood  from  an  animal  recently  dead,  is  also  not 
peculiar  to  this  bacillus.  Friedlander's  bacillus  grows  readily  in  a 
variety  of  culture-media.  The  cultures,  which  have  served  for  my  own 
experiments  and  those  of  Dr.  Bolton,  came  originally  from  Koch's 
laboratory. 

9.  Bacillus  crasssus  sputigenus.  This  is  a  pathogenic  bacillus  ob- 
tained by  Kreibohm  from  sputum.  It  grows  readily  in  various  media, 
and,  in  gelatine  stick-cultures,  presents  the  nail-like  growth  which  Fried- 
lander  at  first  supposed  to  be  a  distinguishing  character  of  his  '*  pneu-- 
mococcus."  Small  quantities  injected  sub-cutaneously  kill  mice  within 
48  hours.  It  is  fatal  to  rabbits  when  injected  into  the  circulation  through 
a  vein  of  the  ear. 

10.  Bacilhis  alvei.  This  is  a  bacillus  which  Watson  Cheyne  has 
demonstrated  to  be  the  cause  of  "  foul  brood  "  in  bees.  The  larvae  be- 
come infected,  and  die  in  the  cells  of  the  comb  in  which  they  are 
enclosed.  The  bacillus  is  also  pathogenic  for  mice  and  for  Guinea-pigs. 
It  liquefies  gelatine,  and  grows  rapidly  in  a  variety  of  culture-media* 
Very  large  oval  spores  are  developed  in  the  rods,  which  then  have  a 
spindle  form. 

11.  Tubercle  bacillus.  This  bacillus  is  now  generally  recognized 
as  the  cause  of  tuberculosis  in  man  and  in  the  lower  animals.  It  is 
so  well  known  that  a  description  of  its  characters  is  scarcely  neces- 
sary. On  account  of  its  slow  growth  and  the  difficulties  attending  its 
cultivation  in  artificial  media,  it  has  not  been  used  in  our  disinfection 
experiments. 

12.  Bacillus pyocyanus  (B.  of  green  pus).  This  bacillus  is  classed 
by  Eisenberg  with  the  pathogenic  organisms,  and  the  statement  is  made 
that  it  kills  Guinea-pigs  when  injected"  into  the  abdominal  cavity.  It 
liquefies  gelatine,  and  gives  to  it  a  fluorescent  green  color.  The  bacilli 
are  slender  rods  of  various  lengths,  resembling  in  form  the  bacillus  of 
mouse-septicaemia,  but  somewhat  thicker. 

In  addition  to  the  pathogenic  bacilli  named,  experiments  have  been 
made  with  the  following  non-pathogenic  bacilli. 

13.  Bacilhis  Indicus.  Obtained  by  Koch,  while  in  India,  from  the 
stomach  of  a  monkey.  Forms  a  bright  red  pigment  when  it  grows  upon 
the  surface  of  a  culture- medium,  freely  exposed  to  oxygen. 

14.  Bacillus  prodigiosus.  Well  known  under  the  name  of  "  micro- 
coccus prodigiosus,"  but  now  classed    by   Fliigge    among    the    bacilli. 


REPORT  OF   COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 2£ 

Forms  a  deep  red   pigment  when  freely  exposed  to  the  air ;  liquefies 
gelatine. 

15.  Bacillus  syncyanurn  (B.  of  blue  milk) .  This  bacillus  forms  a  gray- 
ish-blue pigment,  which  in  cultures  is  diffused  through  the  culture-medi- 
um. The  rods  are  motile,  and  of  varying  length — from  1  to  4  (i  long,  and 
0.3  to  0.5  fx  broad.     This  bacillus  is  said  by  Eisenberg  to  form  spores. 

16.  Fluorescent  bacillus.  Obtained  from  water.  Forms  a  fluores- 
cent greenish-yellow  pigment.  In  gelatine  cultures  the  pigment  is 
absorbed  by  the  gelatine.  Growth  occurs  chiefly  upon  the  surface,  and 
very  little  along  the  track  of  the  needle  in  stick-cultures.  The  bacilli 
are  short  and  slender  rods,  with  rounded  ends  ;  they  are  not  motile,  and 
so  far  as  is  known  do  not  form  spores. 

17.  Bacillus  acidi  lactici.  This  is  the  lactic  acid  ferment.  The 
rods  are  short  and  comparatively  thick — 1  to  1.7  fx  long,  and  0.3  to  0.4  //. 
thick  (Hiippe).  They  are  usually  united  in  pairs,  and  are  motionless. 
This  bacillus  does  not  liquefy  gelatine.  According  to  Eisenberg,  it  forms 
spores,  which  are  developed  at  the  extremities  of  the  rods  and  appear  as 
highly  refractive  spherical  bodies. 

18.  Bacillus  butyricus.  This  is  the  butyric  acid  ferment  (Pasteur). 
It  quickly  liquefies  gelatine.  The  rods  vary  greatly  in  length,  and  often 
grow  out  into  long  filaments.  Spores  are  formed  at  a  temperature  of 
350  to  400  C. 

19.  Wurtzel  bacillus.  Obtained  from  earth.  Short  bacilli  with 
rounded  ends,  about  three  times  as  long  as  broad ;  motile  ;  liquefies 
gelatine  ;  forms  spores. 

20.  Bacillus  subtilis.  A  widely  distributed  species.  The  rods  are 
about  three  times  as  long  as  thick,  and  have  rounded  ends.  They  are 
often  united  in  chains  made  up  of  several  elements,  or  grow  out  into 
long  filaments.  They  are  motile,  and  have  been  shown  by  Koch  to  be 
provided  with  flagella.  This  bacillus  forms  spores  which  have  great 
resistance  to  heat  and  chemical  agents.     It  liquefies  gelatine. 

MICROCOCCI. 

I.  Staphylococcus  pyogenes  aureus  (micrococcus  of  osteo-myelitis) . 
This  micrococcus  is  the  species  most  commonly  found  in  the  pus  of  acute 
abscesses.  It  was  first  isolated  in  pure  cultures  and  accurately  described 
by  Rosenbach  in  1884.  Becker  had  previously  (1S83)  obtained  the  same 
coccus  from  the  pus  of  osteo-myelitis,  and  cultures  of  the  organism  from 
this  source  have  been  kept  separate  in  the  bacteriological  laboratories  of 
Europe.  Eisenberg  describes  the  organism  under  the  two  headings 
given  above,  but  makes  the  remark  that  they  are  probably  identical. 
This  is  now  generally  admitted.  In  my  experiments  and  those  of  Dr. 
Bolton  the  cultures  have  been  kept  separate,  but  I  see  no  good  reason  for 
continuing  to  treat  as  two  species  an  organism  obtained  from  two  different 
sources.  Vignal,  in  a  recent  study  of  the  organisms  found  in  the  mouth 
in  healthy  persons,1  has  in  a  certain  number  of  cases  obtained  both  the 

1  "Archives  de  Physiologie,"  Nov.  15,  1886. 


5 3°  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

staphylococcus  pyogenes  aureus  and  the  staphylococcus  pyogenes  albus 
from  this  source.  This  fact  is  not  at  all  in  conflict  with  the  view  that 
these  organisms  are  concerned  in  the  production  of  the  abscesses  and 
phlegmons  in  which  they  are  found. 

The  staphylococcus  aureus,  when  injected  into  the  abdominal  cavity  of 
rabbits,  usually  causes  death  within   24  hours.     The  cocci  vary  consider- 
ably in  size  ;  the  average  diameter  is  given  by  Eisenberg  as  0.87  ft.  They 
are   commonly  found  in  irregular  masses,  but  are  also  found  in  pairs,  in 
groups  of  four,  and  in  short  chains  of  three  or  four  elements.     Upon  the 
surface  of  a   solid   culture-medium  the  colonies  have  an  orange-yellow 
color.     It  liquefies  gelatine,  and  grows  readily  at  the  room  temperature. 
In  the  writer's  previously  recorded   experiments,1  most  of  which  were 
made  before  Rosenbach   had  published  the   admirable  memoir  in  which 
he  has  defined  the  characters  of  the   pus  micrococci,  cultures  obtained 
from  the  pus  of  an  acute  abscess  are  constantly  spoken  of  as  "  pure  cult- 
ures of  the  micrococcus  of  pus  "   These  cultures  were  obtained  by  inocu- 
lating fluid  media  with  a   minute  quantity  of  pus  from  an  acute  abscess, 
at  the  moment  of  opening  it,  with  antiseptic  precautions.     As  a  result  of 
such   inoculations  I  constantly  obtained   cultures  containing  only  micro- 
cocci, and,  like  other  investigators  whose  work  was  done  prior  to  Rosen- 
bach's  demonstration   of  the  fact  that  there  are  several   pus  micrococci, 
similar  in  form  but  differing  in  color  and  other  particulars,  I  inferred  that 
my  cultures  contained  a  single  species  of  the  genus  micrococcus  which  I 
designated  i;  the  micrococcus  of  pus."  These  cultures  may  have  contain- 
ed the  three  species  of  staphylococcus — aureus,  albus,  and  citreus  (they 
did  not  contain  the  streptococcus  of  pus)  ;  and  it  is  evident  that,  with  our 
present  knowledge,  they  are  no  longer  entitled  to  be  called  "  pure  cult- 
ures."    But  so  far  as   my  experiments  were  concerned  they  served  the 
purpose  of  a  pure  culture,  for  they  contained  only  micrococci,  and  micro- 
cocci obtained  from  the  source  mentioned.     As   my  object  was  to  deter- 
mine the  resisting  power  of  micrococci,  as  compared  with  that  of  bacilli 
and  spores,  for  the  various  chemical  agents  tested,  the  cultures  employed 
were  a  perfectly  satisfactory  test.     In  the  experiments  recorded  in  the 
present   report,  the  object  in  view  has  been  to  ascertain  the  resisting 
power  of  various  species  of  micrococci  and  bacilli,  for  the  same  agents, 
with  a  view  to  ascertaining  whether  this  resisting  power  varies  greatly  in 
different  species.     In  other  words,  my  previous  experiments  related  to 
the  comparative  resisting  power  of  micrococci,  and  bacilli,  and  spores, 
in  a  general  way,  while  the  experiments  herein  recorded  are  designed  to 
fix  the  exact  resisting  power  of  various  species  of  micrococci,  and  bacilli, 
and  spirilla,  and  of  the  spores  of  several  species  of  the  genus  bacillus. 

2.  Staphylococcus  pyogenes  citreus.  This  is  similar  to  the  staph,  pyog. 
aureus  in  its  morphology  and  in  its  biological  characters,  but  is  distin- 
guished by  the  fact  that  it  forms  a  citron-yellow  color.  As  this  character 
is  constant,  it  must  be  considered  a  distinct  species. 

i«Am.  Jour,  of  the  Med.  Sci.,"  Philadelphia,  April,  1883.  Report  of  Committee  on  Disinfect 
ants  of  the  A.  P.  H.  A.,  Vol.  XI,  1885. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


131 


s  '*>  ^O^ 


Fig.  14.     From  "  Die  Mikro-Organismen,"  p.  151. 


3.  Staphylococcus  pyogenes  albus.  This  also  resembles  the  two  pre- 
ceding species,  with  which  it  is  frequently  associated  in  the  pus  of  acute 
abscesses,  but  it  is  distinguished  from  them  by  the  absence  of  pigment. 

4.  Streptococcus  eryslpelatos.  Obtained  by  Fehleisen  from  the  skin 
in  cases  of  erysipelas,  and  demonstrated  by  him  to  be  the  cause  of  this 
disease.  This  coccus  is  distinguished  from  the  preceding  species  by  the 
fact  that  it  divides  in  one  direction  only,  and  often  forms  long  chains, 
especially  in  cultures  in  liquid  media.  It  does  not  liquefy  gelatine,  and 
in  gelatine  plate-cultures  it  forms  small,  round,  finely  granular  colonies. 
According  to  Fliigge  this 
coccus  resembles  very  close- 
ly the  streptococcus  of  pus, 
which  is  present  in  a  con- 
siderable proportion  of  the 
cases  in  the  pus  of  acute 
abscesses ;  but  differences 
are  to  be  observed  in  its 
growth  in  gelatine  "  stick- 
cultures,"  and  in  its  patho- 
genic properties  as  tested  by 
experiments  upon  animals. 

Fig.  14  is  copied  from  Fliigge's  recent  work,  and  represents  a  section 
of  skin  from  a  case  of  erysipelas,  in  which  the  lymph-vessels  are  invaded 
by  the  streptococcus  in  question.     The  amplification  is  700  diameters. 

5.  Micrococcus  tetragenus.  This  is  a  coccus  which  divides  in  two 
directions,   forming  groups   of  four   elements.     It  is  often  found  in  the 

buccal  secretions  of  healthy 
persons,  and  is  quite  com- 
mon in  the  purulent  expec- 
toration of  phthisical  pa- 
tients. The  cocci  are  about 
1  ft  in  diameter.  In  gelatine 
plate-cultures  it  forms  small 
white  colonies  ;  it  does  not 
liquefy  gelatine.  Koch  and 
GafTky  have  shown  that 
this  coccus  is  pathogenic  for 
mice,  which  die  within  3  to 
10  days  after  subcutaneous 
inoculation  with  the  small- 
est quantity  of  a  pure  cult- 
ure. The  cocci  in  groups 
of  four  are  found  in  the 
blood  and  tissues. 

Fig.  15  represents  this  coccus  in  a  section  of  the  lung  of  a  mouse 
(X  800,  after  Fliigge). 

6.  Micrococcus  gonorrhcece.     This  coccus,  discovered  by  Neisser  in 


Fig. 


From  "  Die  Mikro-Organismen,"  p.  163. 


132  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

the  pus  of  specific  urethretis,  is  now  generally  recognized  by  bacteriolo- 
gists as  the  cause  of  gonorrhoea.  The  researches  ofBumm,  especially, 
have  made  this  to  appear  almost  certain.  In  the  second  edition  of  the 
memoir  of  this  author  the  statement  is  made  that  a  characteristic  urethral 
inflammation  and  discharge  resulted,  in  a  female,  from  an  experimental 
inoculation  with  material  from  a  20th  culture. 

Bumm  has  shown  that  the  "gonococcus"  does  not  grow  in  the  liquid 
and  solid  culture  media  usually  employed  in  laboratory  work,  which 
furnish  a  favorable  soil  for  the  various  species  of  micrococci  above  de- 
scribed. Those  authors  who  had  previously  obtained  cultures  in  bouil- 
lon, and  upon  flesh-peptone  gelatine,  by  inoculating  these  media  with 
gonorrhceal  pus,  were  doubtless  mistaken  in  the  inference  that  the  coccus 
obtained  in  their  culture  was  identical  with  that  in  the  pus  cells.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  researches  of  the  author  quoted  have  shown  that  sev- 
eral different  species  of  micrococci  may  be 
obtained  from  this  source.  According  to 
Bumm,  the  true  "  gonococcus"  grows  very 
slowly  upon  blood-serum  as  a  thin,  often 
scarcely  visible,  layer,  of  a  grayish-yellow 
color.  He  has  been  most  successful  in 
Fig.  16.    "Die  Mikro-Organismen,"  cultivating   it  upon    human    blood-serum. 

p* *57'  Fig.    16    is    copied   from    Bumm's   work, 

published  in  1885.  The  amplification  is  800  diameters — #,  free-lying 
cocci  ;  3,  cocci  in  pus  cells ;  c,  cocci  in  an  epithelial  cell. 

7.  Micrococcus  Pasteur i.  This  is  a  pathogenic  micrococcus  found 
in  the  mouths  of  certain  individuals,  which  was 
discovered  by  the  writer,  in  1880,  in  the  blood  of 
a  rabbit  which  died  as  a  result  of  a  subcutaneous 
injection  of  a  small  quantity  of  saliva.  At  a 
temperature  of  35-380  C.  this  coccus  grows 
readily  in  blood-serum,  or  in  bouillon  made  from 
the  flesh  of  a  rabbit.  It  may  also  be  cultivated 
in  agar-agar.  The  smallest  quantity  of  such  a 
culture,  or  of  the  blood  of  an  animal  recently  Fig.  17.  From  "Archive  per  le 
dead   from    the    infectious    disease   to   which    it  Saenze  Mediche." 

gives  rise,  causes  death  within  forty-eight  hours  when  introduced  be- 
neath the  skin  of  a  rabbit.  This  coccus  is  present,  in  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  cases  at  least,  in  the  exudate  into  the  alveoli  of  the  lungs  in 
cases  of  croupous  pneumonia  ;  and  there  is  good  reason 
for  believing  that  it  is  concerned  in  the  etiology  of  this 
•  f  #  *  1  w  \  disease.  Under  certain  circumstances  it  is  surrounded  by 
A  +1  ••/  /  a  transparent  material,  which  has  been  described  by  some 
authors  asa"  capsule."  This  is  well  shown  in  Fig.  17, 
which  is  copied  from  a  paper  by  Salvioli,  published  in 
the  " Archive  per  le  Scienze  Mediche"  (Vol.  VIII). 
Fig.  18  is  from  a  drawing  carefully  made  for  the  writer  by  Dr.  A.  C. 
Abbott,   and  represents  M.  Pasteuri  as  seen  in  the  blood  of  a  rabbit 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


*33 


which  had  been  inoculated  with  fresh  pneumonia  sputem,  obtained  from 
a  patient  in  the  seventh  day  of  the  disease.  The  amplification  is  iooo 
diameters. 

SAUCING. 

Experiments  have  been  made  upon  two  species  of  the  genus  Sarcina, 
one  of  which  is  distinguished  by  a  yellow  color,  while  the  other  has 
a  bright-orange  color.  These  are  not  pathogenic.  The  sarcinae  are 
distinguished  from  the  micrococci  by  the  fact  that  division  occurs  in  three 
directions  forming  groups  of  eight  elements. 

METHODS    OF    RESEARCH. 

In  the  experiments  recorded  in  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Disin- 
fectants for  1885  liquid  cultures  were  employed,  the  culture-fluids  being 
enclosed  in  hermetically  sealed  glass  flasks,  such  as  the  writer  has  been 
in  the  habit  of  using  for  a  number  of  years.  The  manner  of  making  and 
using  these  flasks  is  described  as  follows  in  "  Bacteria  :"  * 

The  writer  described,  in  a  paper  read  at  the  meeting  of  the  American  Association  for 
Advancement  of  Science,  in  August,  188 1,  a  method  of  conducting  culture  experiments 
which  he  has  found  extremely  satisfactory,  and  which  has  the  advantage 
of  assuring  the  greatest  possible  security  from  contamination  by  atmos- 
pheric germs.  The  culture-flasks  employed  contain  from  one  to  four 
fluid  drachms.  They  are  made  from  glass-tubing  of  three  or  four  tenths 
inch  diameter,  and  those  which  the  writer  has  used  in  his  numerous  ex- 
periments have  all  been  home-made.  It  is  easier  to  make  new  flasks  than 
to  clean  old  ones,  and  they  are  thrown  away  after  being  once  used.  Bel- 
lows, operated  by  the  foot,  and  a  flame  of  considerable  size — gas  is  prefer- 
able— will  be  required  by  one  who  proposes  to  construct  these  little  flasks 
for  himself.  After  a  little  practice,  they  are  rapidly  made;  but  as  a  large 
number  are  required,  the  time  and  labor  expended  in  their  preparation  are 
no  slight  matter.  .  .  .  After  blowing  a  bulb  at  the  extremity  of  a  long 
glass  tube,  of  the  diameter  mentioned,  this  is  provided  with  a  slender 
neck,  drawn  out  in  the  flame,  and  the  end  of  this  is  hermetically  sealed. 
(See  Fig.  19.)  Thus  one  little  flask  after  another  is  made  from  the  same 
piece  of  tubing,  until  this  becomes  too  short  for  further  use. 

To  introduce  a  culture-liquid  into  one  of  these  little  flasks,  heat  the  bulb 

slightly,  break  off  the  sealed  extremity  of  the  tube,  and 
plunge  it  beneath  the  surface  of  the  liquid.  (See  Fig.  20.) 
The  quantity  which  enters  will,  of  course,  depend  upon 
the  heat  employed,  and  the  consequent  rarefaction  of  the 
enclosed  air.  Ordinarily  the  bulb  is  filled  to  about  one 
third  of  its  capacity  with  the  culture-liquid,  leaving  it  two 
thirds  full  of  air,  for  the  use  of  the  microscopic  plants 
which  are  to  be  cultivated  in  it. 

The  culture-fluid  in  the  flasks  is  next  ster- 
ilized in  a  water-bath  or  a  steam-sterilizer. 
Usually  I  am  in  the  habit  of  placing  a  quan- 
tity of  the  little  flasks  in  a  water-bath,  main- 
tained at  a  boiling  temperature  for  an  hour 
or   more,    and,    to    ensure    destruction    of  all 


Fig.  20. 


spores,  the  boiling  is  repeated  the  following 

1  Wm.  Wood  &  Co.,  N.  Y.,  1884. 


x34'  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

day.  The  flasks  are  then  placed  in  an  incubating  oven,  at  380  C.  for 
several  days,  to  prove  that  the  culture-fluid  contained  in  them  is  sterile. 

The  test  of  disinfection  is  made  by  introducing  into  these  flasks  a 
small  amount  of  material  containing  the  test-organism,  after  having  ex- 
posed this  for  two  hours  to  the  action  of  the  disinfecting  agent  in  a  deter- 
mined proportion.  It  has  been  my  practice  throughout  to  mix  a  given 
quantity — usually  5c. c. — of  the  culture  containing  the  test  organism  with 
an  equal  quantity  of  an  aqueous  solution  of  the  disinfecting  agent.  Dr. 
Bolton  has  been  governed  by  the  same  rule  in  making  his  experiments. 

In  the  mode  of  experimenting  above  described,  a  complete  absence  of 
growth  in  the  sterile  culture-medium  will  be  evidence  that  all  of  the 
test-organisms  introduced  into  the  flask  have  been  destroyed  by  the  action 
of  the  disinfecting  agent,  when  the  experiments  have  been  conducted 
with  a  due  regard  to  the  possible  restraining  influence  of  the  germicide 
agent,  which  if  introduced  in  sufficient  amount  might  simply  prevent 
growth  by  reason  of  its  presence,  and  lead  to  the  mistaken  inference  that 
the  vitality  of  the  test-organism  had  been  destroyed.  This  error  is  to  be 
avoided  by  diluting  the  germicide  agent  so  largely  with  the  sterilized 
culture-fluid  into  which  it  is  introduced,  along  with  the  test-organisms 
which  have  been  exposed  to  its  action,  that  its  restraining  influence  is 
rendered  nil.  Suppose,  for  example,  that  we  mix  with  a  culture  of  the 
anthrax  bacillus  containing  spores  an  equal  quantity  of  a  solution  of 
mercuric  chloride  of  the  strength  of  1  to  1,000,  making  the  proportion 
of  the  salt  in  the  mixture  1  to  2,000:  now,  if  we  take  one  part  of  this 
mixture  and  add  it  to  ten  parts  of  sterilized  bouillon,  we  shall  have  the 
mercuric  chloride  present  in  the  proportion  of  1  to  20,000.  Experiments 
upon  the  restraining  power  of  this  salt  show  that  anthrax  spores  will  not 
grow  in  culture-solutions  containing  1  to  300,000,  and  that  their  develop- 
ment is  retarded  by  solutions  of  1  to  600,000.  Failure  to  develop  in  this 
case  would  therefore  be  no  proof  that  the  growing  power  of  the  anthrax 
spores  had  been  destroyed.  This  proof  is  only  to  be  attained  by  adding 
sufficient  culture-fluid  to  dilute  the  mercuric  chloride  beyond  its  restrain- 
ing power.  The  use  of  a  comparatively  large  amount  of  the  culture- 
fluid,  and  of  an  extremely  small  quantity  of  the  material  containing  the 
test-organisms,  permits  us  to  exclude  this  source  of  error,  for  a  few 
germs  serve  as  well  for  the  test  as  a  large  number. 

For  the  reason  stated,  fluid-culture  media  are  more  suitable  for  experi- 
ments of  this  nature  than  solids.  If  we  bring  a  little  of  our  material 
containing  mercuric  chloride  in  the  proportion  of  1  to  2,000  upon  the 
surface  of  a  cooked  potato,  or  introduce  it  with  a  needle  into  a  gelatine- 
culture  medium,  the  salt  will  not  be  diluted,  and  would  exercise  its 
restraining  influence  upon  the  germs  if  they  had  not  already  been  de- 
stroyed by  its  action.  On  the  other  hand,  if  we  add  1  part  of  the  mate- 
rial to  100  parts  of  bouillon  and  mix  thoroughly  by  shaking,  the  mercuric 
chloride  will  be  diluted  to  1  to  200,000  :  this  being  still  within  the  limits 
of  its  restraining  action,  we  may  take  one  part  of  the  mixture  and  add  it 
to  ten  parts  of  the  sterile  bouillon.     The  mercuric  chloride  will  now  be 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  T$J{ 

diluted  to  i  to  2,000. 000,  a  proportion  quite  beyond  the  limits  of  restrain- 
ing action.  But  there  will  be  a  sufficient  number  of  anthrax  spores  in 
the  culture-medium  to  test  the  question  as  to  whether  the  growing  power 
of  these  particular  "germs"  is  destroyed  by  mercuric  chloride  in  the 
proportion  named. 

It  is  probable  that  this  source  of  error  has  not  been  kept  sufficiently  in 
view  in  some  of  the  experiments  heretofore  made.  Again  :  It  often  hap- 
pens that  no  development  occurs  for  a  time,  but  that  after  several  days 
the  germs  which  have  been  exposed  to  the  action  of  a  chemical  agent 
commence  to  grow,  and  finally  produce  an  abundant  and  vigorous  prog- 
eny. In  this  case  mistakes  are  likely  to  arise  from  terminating  the  ex- 
periment too  soon.  Anthrax  spores,  for  example,  develop,  in  a  suitable 
culture-medium,  at  a  temperature  of  8o°  to  ioo°  F.  within  twenty-four 
hours,  and  give  rise  to  numerous  characteristic  flocculi,  made  up  of  long 
filaments,  which  are  readily  distinguished  by  the  naked  eye.  But  after 
exposure  to  a  germicide  agent  in  less  amount  than  is  necessary  to  com- 
pletely destroy  their  vitality,  they  may  fail  to  develop  under  the  same 
circumstances  in  forty-eight  or  seventy-two  hours,  and  yet  finally  produce 
an  abundant  crop  of  filaments. 

When  development  occurs  in  the  little  flasks,  it  is  evidence  that  some 
of  the  test-organisms,  at  least,  have  escaped  destruction,  but  we  have  no 
way  of  determining  whether  few  or  many  have  escaped  the  germicide 
action  of  the  disinfecting  agent.  From  a  practical  point  of  view  this  is  a 
matter  of  little  importance.  We  wish  to  know  what  amount  of  the  dis- 
infectant will  destroy  all  pathogenic  germs,  and  in  practice  we  will  not 
fail  to  keep  on  the  safe  side,  that  is  to  say,  the  side  of  excess.  But  it  is 
a  matter  of  some  scientific  interest  to  ascertain,  in  a  given  experiment  in 
which  growth  has  occurred,  whether  few  or  many  of  the  test-organisms 
have  escaped  the  destructive  action  of  the  disinfectant.  This  may  be 
done  by  the  use  of  a  gelatine  culture-medium,  and  is  very  conveniently 
accomplished  by  means  ofEsmarch's  method.  In  Dr.  Bolton's  experi- 
ments, recorded  in  the  present  report,  and  in  my  own  experiments  upon 
the  thermal  death-point  of  micro-organisms,  this  method  has  been  largely 
employed.     The  details  for  disinfection  experiments  are  as  follows : 

A  pure-culture  of  the  test-organism  is  made  in  5  c.c.  of  bouillon,  con- 
tained in  an  ordinary  test-tube  with  a  cotton  stopper,  or  in  a  Miquel 
flask.  To  this  is  added  an  aqueous  solution  of  the  disinfectant  in  equal 
amount.  The  percentage  of  the  disinfecting  agent  will  of  course  be  re- 
duced one  half.  The  mixture  is  allowed  to  stand  for  two  hours,  and  a 
very  small  quantity  is  then  introduced  into  a  test-tube  containing  flesh- 
peptone-gelatine,  which  has  been  liquefied  by  heat  (300  to  350  C).  A 
closely  fitting  rubber  cap  is  then  placed  over  the  end  of  the  test-tube,  the 
cotton  stopper  being  left  in  situ.  The  tube  is  now  placed  in  a  shallow 
vessel  containing  iced  water,  and  is  rotated,  with  its  long  axis  in  a  hori- 
zontal plane,  until  the  gelatine  has  become  solid.  The  effect  of  this 
procedure  is  to  spread  the  gelatine  out  in  an  even  layer  over  the  interior 
of  the  test-tube.     When  now  it  is  placed  aside  in  a  room  or  incubating- 


I36  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

oven,  maintained  at  a  temperature  a  little  below  the  melting  point  of 
gelatine,  each  micrococcus,  or  bacillus,  or  spore,  which  has  retained  its 
vitality,  will  form  a  colony,  which  after  a  time  will  be  visible  to  the 
naked  eye,  and  the  characters  of  which  may  be  studied  under  the  micro- 
scope by  the  use  of  a  low  power  objective,  e.  g.,  y?  in. 

The  Esmarch  tube  is,  in  fact,  a  modification  of  Koch's  plate-method,  and 
for  experiments  of  the  kind  referred  to  has  decided  advantages  on  account 
of  the  slight  risk  of  accidental  contamination,  and  of  the  great  saving  in 
time  and  space  effected  in  using  these  tubes  rather  than  flat  plates  of 
glass,  in  large  glass  jars,  as  in  the  well  known  plate-method  of  Koch. 

We  have  also  in  our  experiments  had  occasion  to  use  potato-cultures, 
and  have  found  a  modification  of  the  usual  method,  which  has  been  de- 
vised by  Dr.  Bolton,  to  be  very  useful.  This  consists  in  cutting  the 
potato  into  cylindrical  pieces  of  about  one  inch  in  diameter,  and  three 
inches  long  ;  in  slicing  this  obliquely  in  its  long  diameter,  to  make  a 
plane  surface  upon  which  to  cultivate  the  micro-organism  ;  in  placing 
these  in  large  test-tubes  of  proper  diameter  and  length  (about  six  inches 
long),  and  stopped  in  the  usual  way  with  cotton  plugs ;  and,  finally,  in 
sterilizing  these  in  the  steam-sterilizer. 

TEMPERATURE    EXPERIMENTS. 

In  my  temperature  experiments  I  have  taken  great  pains  to  ensure  the 
exposure  of  the  test-organisms  to  a  uniform  temperature,  and  have 
adopted  ten  minutes  as  the  standard  of  time  of  exposure.  The  method 
employed  throughout  has  been  as  follows :  From  glass  tubing  having  a 
diameter  of  about  y\  of  an  inch  I  draw  out  in  the  flame  of  a  Bunsen 
burner  a  number  of  capillary  tubes,  with  an  expanded  extremity,  which 
serves  as  an  air-chamber.  A  little  material  from  a  pure-culture  of  the 
test-organism  is  drawn  into  each  of  these  capillary  tubes  by  immersing 
the  open  extremity  in  the  culture,  after  having  gently  heated  the  expanded 
end.  (See  Figs.  19  and  20.)  The  end  of  the  tube  is  then  hermetically 
sealed  by  heat.  These  tubes  are  immersed  in  a  water-bath,  maintained 
at  the  desired  temperature  for  the  standard  time.  The  bath  is  kept  at  a 
uniform  temperature  by  personal  supervision.  At  the  bottom  of  the 
vessel  is  a  thick  glass  plate,  which  prevents  the  thermometer  bulb  and 
capillary  tubes,  which  rest  upon  it,  from  being  exposed  to  heat  trans- 
mitted directly  from  the  bottom  of  the  vessel.  To  further  guard  against 
this,  I  am  in  the  habit  of  applying  the  flame  to  the  sides  of  the  vessel, 
and  a  uniform  temperature  throughout  the  bath  is  maintained  by  fre- 
quent stirring  with  a  glass  rod.  It  is  impossible  to  avoid  slight  varia- 
tions, but  by  keeping  my  eye  upon  the  thermometer  throughout  the 
experiment,  I  have  kept  these  within  very  narrow  limits.  A  single 
thermometer,  made  by  Schlay  &  Borend,  of  Berlin,  and  graduated  in 
degrees  of  the  centigrade  scale,  has  been  used  throughout. 

The  experiments  recorded  in  this  report  have  been  made  through  the 
courtesy  of  Prof.  Wm.  H.  Welch,  in  the  pathological  laboratory  of 
Johns  Hopkins  University. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  137 

SECTION  I.— HEAT.1 

The  experiments,  recorded  in  the  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Disin- 
fectants for  1S85,  brought  out  in  a  very  definite  manner  the  great  differ- 
ence in  the  resisting  power  of  the  spores  of  bacilli,  and  of  micro-organ- 
isms of  the  same  class — micrococci,  spirilla,  bacilli — in  the  absence  of 
spores.  This  difference  was  so  great,  both  for  heat  and  for  chemical 
disinfectants,  as  to  make  it  seem  necessary  to  give  specific  directions 
separately  for  the  disinfection  of  ;t  spore-containing  infectious  material," 
and  "for  the  destruction  of  infectious  material  which  owes  its  infecting 
power  to  the  presence  of  micro-organisms  not  containing  spores." 

The  only  objection  which  can  be  urged  against  this  classification  of 
means  of  disinfection,  for  practical  purposes,  is  that  the  question  of  the 
presence  or  absence  of  spores  has  not  been  decided  in  the  case  of  a  num- 
ber of  pathogenic  bacilli,  and  that  for  certain  kinds  of  infectious  material 
— e.  g.,  small-pox,  yellow  fever,  pleuro-pneumonia  of  cattle — we  have 
no  exact  knowledge  of  the  nature  of  the  infectious  agent.  It  is  evident 
that  in  the  absence  of  such  exact  knowledge  it  will  be  safest  to  employ 
that  group  of  disinfectants  which  stands  the  most  difficult  test,  viz.,  the 
destruction  of  spores.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  certain  agents  in 
the  second  list — e.  g.,  carbolic  acid,  sulphate  of  copper — which  are 
extremely  useful  in  those  cases  in  which  we  can  be  sure  that  the  infec- 
tious material  to  be  destroyed  does  not  contain  spores.  For  this  reason, 
and  as  a  matter  of  general  scientific  interest,  it  is  desirable  that  we  should 
ascertain  with  reference  to  each  of  the  pathogenic  organisms  known 
whether  it  forms  spores,  and  if  so  what  the  resisting  power  of  these 
spores  is  to  heat  and  to  various  chemical  agents. 

Having  ascertained  that  the  spores  of  several  well  known  species  of 
bacillus  require  for  their  destruction  a  temperature  of  ioo°  C.  (21 20  F.), 
it  has  been  generally  assumed  that  all  spores  have  a  resisting  power 
much  above  that  possessed  by  organisms  which  do  not  form  spores. 
This  assumption  has  led  the  writer  to  think  that  the  question  of  the  pres- 
ence or  absence  of  spores  might  be  determined  by  experiments  made  to 
determine  the  temperature  required  to  destroy  vitality.  If  growth  should 
occur  after  exposure  to  a  temperature  approaching  ioo°  C,  there  could 
be  no  doubt  that  spores  were  present  in  the  material,  for  all  experiments 
are  in  accord  as  to  the  destruction  of  micro-organisms  in  the  absence  of 
spores  at  a  much  lower  temperature  than  this — 5o°-65°  C.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  does  not  follow  that  because  no  growth  occurs  after 
exposure  to  60°  C.  no  spores  were  present.  It  is  not  safe  to  assume, 
however  probable  it  may  appear,  that  because  the  spores  of  various 
known  species  of  bacillus  require  a  temperature  of  ioo°  C.  for  their 
destruction,  there  are  no  spores  which  are  killed  at  a  lower  temperature. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  are  differences  in  the  resisting  power  of  the 

1  The  writer's  experiments  upon  the  thermal  death-point  of  pathogenic  organisms  have,  in  part, 
been  published  in  the  "American  Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences  "  of  July,  1887.  Believing  that  the 
interest  and  value  of  the  present  report  would  be  enhanced  by  publishing  these  experiments  in  ex- 
tenso,  I  have  introduced  them  here  with  the  approval  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  A.  P.  H.  A. 


138 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


spores  heretofore  tested  in  this  regard,  and  there  is  no  a  priori  reason 
for  denying  the  possibility  that  there  may  be  a  wide  range  in  the  resist* 
ing  power  of  these  reproductive  elements.  In  the  experiments  below- 
recorded  the  writer  has  demonstrated  that  a  number  of  species  of  bacilli 
which  have  been  said  by  competent  authorities  to  form  spores,  exhibit 
no  growth  after  exposure  to  a  temperature  of  6o°  C.  for  ten  minutes. 

This  question  of  spores  has  been  kept  in  view  throughout  my  experi- 
ments, and  has  seemed  to  me  to  be  of  special  importance  in  the  case  of 
the  typhoid  bacillus.  The  frequent  transmission  of  this  disease  by  means 
of  infected  milk  or  water,  and  the  importance  of  destroying  the  infecting 
agent  in  the  discharges  of  the  sick,  have  induced  me  to  give  this  a  prom- 
inent place  as  a  test-organism  in  my  own  experiments  and  in  those 
which  Dr.  Bolton  has  made  under  my  direction. 

It  will  be  understood  that  all  of  the  experiments  included  in  this  report 
relate  to  moist  heat ;  that  is  to  say,  the  test-organisms  were  in  fluid  cult- 
ures and  in  a  moist  condition.  The  effect  of  dry  heat  upon  desiccated 
organisms  is  quite  another  question.  This  has  been  studied  by  Koch 
and  WolfThiigel,  and  their  results  have  been  given  by  Dr.  Rohe  in  his 
paper  on  "  Dry  Heat,"  in  the  report  of  the  committee  for  1S85. 

In  recording  my  experiments  I  shall  follow  the  order  in  which  the  test- 
organisms  are  described  in  the  introduction  to  this  report  (p.  66  to  79). 

SPIRILLUM    OF    ASIATIC    CHOLERA 

{comma  bacillus  of  Koch).  My  experiments  have  been  made  simul- 
taneously upon  the  cholera  spirillum  and  the  two  organism  which  most 
closely  resemble  it,  viz.,  the  cheese  spirillum  of  Deneke,  and  the  Finkler- 
Prior  spirillum.  These  experiments  are  recorded  in  the  following 
tables,  in  which  the  figures  represent  the  temperature  to  which  the  test- 
organism  was  exposed.  The  figures  in  heavy  type  indicate  that  growth 
occurred  after  exposure  to  the  temperature  which  they  represent ;  those 
in  light  type  indicate  that  no  growth  occurred  ;  a  star  after  the  figures 
indicates  that  growth  was  retarded  ;  Cont.  is  an  abbreviation  for  control. 
In  every  case  the  control  experiment  was  made  with  material  from  the 
same  culture.  Unless  otherwise  stated,  the  experiment  was  made  by 
means  of  an  Esmarch  tube  in  the  method  detailed  on  page  81. 

The  cultures  in  this  series  of  experiments  were  all  made  at  the  room 
temperature  in  flesh-peptone  gelatine. 

TABLE  NO.  I. 


Date. 

Organism. 

Experiments. 

0 
00 

CO 

Cholera  spirillum. 

42°, 

44°, 

46°,  48°,*  Cont. 

December  30 

Cheese  spirillum. 

42°, 

44°, 

46°,  48°,*  Cont. 

Finkler-Prior  spirillum. 

42°, 

44°, 

46°,  48°,*  Cont. 

REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


J39 


In  this  first  experiment  no  growth  was  observed  in  the  Esmarch  tubes 
containing  the  three  organisms,  after  exposure  to  480  for  ten  minutes, 
when  these  tubes  were  examined  after  an  interval  of  four  or  five  days, 
but  subsequently  a  few  colonies  developed  in  each  tube.  This  consider- 
able retardation  of  growth  led  me  to  think  that  a  slightly  longer  expos- 
ure would  be  fatal  to  all  of  these  spirilla.  I  accordingly  made  the  fol- 
lowing experiment  at  the  same  temperature,  but  varying    the  time  of 

exposure : 

TABLE  NO.  II. 


Date. 

Organism. 

Temp. 

Time  of  exposure  in  minutes. 

00 

00 

Cholera  spirillum. 

06 

II 

U 
0 
00 

2,  4,  6,  8,*  10,*  12.* 

a 

Cheese  spirillum. 

2,  4,  6,  8,*  10,*  12.* 

Finkler-Prior  spirillum. 

2,  4,  6,  8 ,*  10,*  12.* 

This  was  followed  by  a  similar  experiment  at  500  C. 

TABLE  NO.  III. 


Date. 

Organism. 

Temp. 

Time  of  exposure  in  minutes. 

00 
00 

Cholera  spirillum. 

0 

II 

u 

2,  4,  6,  8,*  10,*  Cont. 

0 

Cheese  spirillum. 

2,  4,  6,  8,*  10,*  Cont. 

Janu 

Finkler-Prior  spirillum. 

2,  4,*  6,  8,  10,  Cont. 

In  this  experiment  only  a  few  colonies  developed  after  exposure  for 
eight  and  ten  minutes  in  the  case  of  the  cholera  and  cheese  spirillum,  and 
none  at  all  in  the  case  of  the  Finkler-Prior  spirillum.  The  following 
experiment  was  made  at  520  C.  : 


TABLE   NO.  IV. 


Date. 

Organism. 

Temp. 

Time  of  exposure  in  minutes. 

00 
00 

Cholera  spirillum. 

°o 
vq 

M 

II 

U 
0 

N 

10 

2  *  4,  6,  8,  10,  Cont. 

Cheese  spirillum. 

2,*  4.  6,  8,  10,  Cont. 

3 

Finkler-Prior  spirillum. 

2,  4,  6,  8,  10,  Cont. 

140 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


This  experiment  enables  us  to  fix  the  thermal  death-point  of  these 
three  species  of  spirillum  at  520  C,  the  time  of  exposure  being  four  min- 
utes. It  will  be  noticed  that  identical  results  were  obtained  as  regards 
the  cholera  and  cheese  spirillum,  while  the  Finkler-Prior  spirillum 
proved  to  have  not  quite  so  much  resisting  power  to  heat. 

The  following  experiment  gives  a  result  in  accord  with  the  above.  It 
was  made  for  the  purpose  of  testing  the  question  whether  a  difference 
would  be  shown  in  the  resisting  power  of  old  and  new  cultures.  We 
may  remark  here  that  the  cholera  spirillum  retains  its  vitality  for  several 
months,  at  least,  in  cultures  which  are  kept  in  a  moist  condition.  On  the 
other  hand,  Koch  has  shown  that  it  is  quickly  destroyed  by  desiccation. 

TABLE  NO.  V. 


Date. 

Cholera  spirillum. 

Temp. 

Time  of  exposure 

in  minutes. 

00 
00 

Fresh  culture. 

U 
0 

N 

2,*  4,  6,  Cont. 

a 

3 
a 
n 
•— > 

Culture  13  days  old. 

2,*  4,  6,  Cont. 

TABLE  NO.  VI. 

Typhoid  Bacillus. 

(Ten  minutes'  exposure.) 


Date. 

1886. 

Nov.  10. 

Nov.  15. 

Nov.  30. 

Dec.  4. 

Dec.  24. 

1887. 

Jan.  15. 

Jan.  20. 

Jan.  21. 

Veal  broth. 

Veal  broth. 
Potato  culture. 

Potato  culture. 

Potato  culture. 

Potato  culture. 

Potato  culture. 
Potato  culture. 


Experiments. 


50°,  60,  70,  Cont. 

50°,  52,  54,  56,  58,  60,  Cont. 
50°,  55,  60,  70.  80,  Cont. 

6o°,  Cont. 

60°,  70,  80,  Cont. 


55°,  60,  70,  80,  Cont. 

48°,  50,  52,  60,  Cont. 
50°,  60,  Cont 


Remarks. 


In  oven  at  38°  for  48 
hours. 

Fluid  culture  of  Nov.  1st. 

Culture  at  room  tempera- 
ture. 

Culture  in  oven  at  38°  for 
7  days. 

Culture  in  oven  for  10 
days,  then  kept  at 
room  temperature  for 
15  days. 


Culture  in  oven  at  38°  for 
7  days. 

In  oven  at  3s0  for  10  days. 

Potato  in  oven  for  7  days, 
then  kept  at  room  tem- 
perature 7  days. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


I4I 


An  inspection  of  the  table  shows  that  no  growth  occurred  in  any 
instance  after  exposure  to  5  6°  C.  and  above.  We  may  therefore  fix  the 
thermal  death-point  of  the  typhoid  bacillus  at  560,  and  our  experiments 
show  that  if  spores  are  formed  in  potato  cultures  kept  in  the  incubating 
oven  at  380,  as  asserted  by  Gaffky  and  others,  these  spores  are  also 
destroyed  at  this  temperature. 

BACILLUS    ANTHRACIS. 

Davaine  first  made  experiments  (1873)  to  determine  the  temperature 
required  to  destroy  the  vitality  of  the  anthrax  bacillus  as  found  in  the 
blood  of  an  animal  just  dead  as  the  result  of  an  experimental  inoculation. 
Under  these  circumstances  no  spores  are  present.  The  destruction  of 
vitality  was  tested  by  inoculation  into  susceptible  animals.  This  method 
is  open  to  the  objection  that  at  temperatures  approaching  that  which 
destroys  vitality  the  development  of  the  bacillus  is  retarded,  and  the 
animal  is  likely  to  suffer  a  non-fatal  attack  of  the  disease  which  may 
escape  observation,  and  the  inference  be  drawn  that  the  bacillus  is  killed. 
This  is  probably  the  explanation  of  the  slight  difference  in  the  results 
obtained  by  Davaine  and  those  of  Chauveau  made  more  recently. 

ANTHRAX    BACILLUS. 
TABLE  NO.  VII. 


Authority. 

Temperature. 

Time  of  exposure  in  minutes. 

Remarks. 

55° 
50° 

48° 

50° 
54° 

5 
10 

15 
20 
10 

In  blood. 

Davaine 

u         « 

«         « 

Chauveau 

Cultures. 
u 

According  to  Fliigge  anthrax  spores  are  killed  by  exposure  to  ioo°  CL 
for  two  minutes.  In  a  recent  experiment  by  the  writer  a  single  colony 
developed  after  exposure  to  this  temperature  for  two  minutes,  but  there 
was  no  growth  when  the  time  was  extended  to  four  minutes.  Keeping 
on  the  side  of  safety,  we  may  place  the  thermal  death-point  of  anthrax 
spores  at  ioo°  C.  (=  21 2°  F.),  the  time  of  exposure  being  five  minutes. 
Chauveau  has  shown  that  exposure  to  a  temperature  slightly  below  that 
which  completely  destroys  vitality  causes  an  attenuation  of  virulence,  and 
that  this  method  may  be  adopted  for  procuring  a  virus  suitable  for  use  in 
protective  inoculations.  For  premier  vaccin  Chauveau  uses  a  culture 
which  has  been  exposed  for  fifteen  minutes  to  a  temperature  of  500  C. 
A  stronger  virus  for  the  second  inoculation  is  obtained  by  exposure  to 
the  same  temperature  for  ten  minutes. 

Bacillus  of  Glanders.     Loftier1  has  recently  determined  the  thermal 

1  Arbeiten  a.  d.  Kaiserlichen  Gesundheitsamte,  Bd.  i,  Heft  5. 


142 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON   DISINFECTANTS. 


death-point  of  the  Rotz  bacillus.     He  finds   it  to  be  550  C,  the  time  of 
exposure  being  ten  minutes. 

Bacillus  of  Swine  Plague  (German,  schweine  rothlauf;  French, 
rouget).  Bacillus  of  Mouse  Septiccemia  (Koch).  Pasteur's  bacillus 
of  rouget  is,  no  doubt,  identical  with  the  bacillus  of  schiveine  rothlauf 
of  the  German  bacteriologists.  I  have  experimented  upon  cultures  from 
both  sources.  The  bacillus  of  mouse  septicaemia  is  also  supposed  by 
some  authors  to  be  identical  with  the  above.  According  to  Eisenberg, 
the  bacillus  of  mouse  septicaemia  forms  spores.  Fliigge  says  of  the  bacil- 
lus of  schweine  rothlauf: 

In  bouillon  cultures  which  have  been  kept  for  three  days  at  the  room  temperature,  or 
for  twenty-four  hours  at  400,  one  notices  the  formation  of  small  spherical  bodies,  which 
probably  represent  spores,  although,  on  account  of  their  minuteness,  the  formation  and 
development  of  these  bodies  have  not,  up  to  the  present  time,  been  exactly  observed.1 

My  experiments  upon  the  thermal  death-point  of  these  organisms  are 
included  in  the  following  tables  : 

TABLE  NO.  VIII. 
CULTURES    IN    FLESH-PEPTONE-GELATINE. 


Date. 

Organism. 

Temperature  to  which  exposed. 

January  20,  1887 

Mouse  septicaemia. 

50°,  60,  Cont. 

January  26,  1887 

Mouse  septicaemia. 
Schweine  rothlauf. 

52°,  54,  56  *  58,  Cont. 
52°,  54,  56,  Cont. 

February  7,  1887 

Mouse  septicaemia. 
Schweine  rothlauf. 

6o°,  Cont. 
6o°,  Cont. 

February  8,  1887 

Mouse  septicaemia. 
Rouget. 

54°,  56  *  58,  Cont. 
52°,  54,  56  *  58,  Cont. 

TABLE  NO.  IX. 

CULTURES    IN    BOUILLC 

)N. 

Date. 

Organism. 

Temperature  to  which  exposed. 

March  17,  1887  . 

Rothlauf. 

6o°,  65,  Cont. 

Mouse  septicaemia. 

6o°,  65,  Cont. 

These  bouillon  cultures  were  kept  in  the  incubating  oven  at  380  for 
three  days,  and  afterward  at  the  room  temperature  for  eight  days.  The 
bacilli  were  found  to  have  grown  out  into  slender  filaments,  which  pre- 
sented the  appearance  of  having  vacant  places  in  their  protoplasm,  which 
possibly  represented  spores.  As  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  table, 
no  growth  occurred  after  exposure  to  a  temperature  of  60  C.  for  ten  min- 

*Die  Mikro-Organismen,  p.  246. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


H3 


utes.  We  must,  therefore,  admit  either  that  this  bacillus  does  not  form 
spores  under  the  circumstances  stated  by  Fliigge,  or  that  the  spores  are 
destroyed  at  the  comparatively  low  temperature  named. 

In  the  following  table  I  include  several  species  of  pathogenic  and  non- 
pathogenic bacilli  in  which  the  question  of  spore- formation  has  not  been 
definitely  settled.  In  regard  to  the  first  named  (Emmerich's  bacillus), 
Eisenberg  remarks  "  spore-formation  not  yet  observed."  According  to 
Fliigge,  B.  sfiutig.  crassus  "  appears  to  form  spores  at  a  temperature  of 
350."  The  bacillus  of  blue  milk  is  said  by  Eisenberg  to  form  spores  in 
gelatine  cultures  after  the  third  day.  The  lactic  acid  ferment  is  said  by 
the  same  author  to  form  spores  at  the  ends  of  the  rods,  which  appear  as 
spherical,  shining,  highly  refractive  bodies.  In  my  own  examinations 
of  stained  cover-glass  preparations  from  the  cultures  used  in  the  follow- 
ing experiments,  I  have  in  no  instance  been  able  to  satisfy  myself  of  the 
presence  of  spores. 

TABLE  NO.  X. 

RECENT    CULTURES    IN    FLESH-PEPTONE-GELATINE. 


Organism. 


Emmerich's  bacillus 


Brieger's  bacillus      .     .     . 

Friedlander's  bacillus 
(So  called  "  pneumo-coc- 
cus.'') 

Bacillus  sputig.  crassus 
(Kreibohm.) 


Bacillus  pyocyanus 
(Green  pus.) 


Bacillus  indicus 


Bacillus  prodigiosus      .     . 
(Commonly  called  micro- 
coccus prodigiosus.) 

Bacillus  cyanogenus      .     . 
(Bacillus  of  blue  milk.) 

Bacillus  fluorescens  .     .     . 


Bacillus  acidi  lactici . 


Date. 

January 

24. 

January 

28. 

February 

1. 

January 

24. 

February 

1. 

Decembei 

'24. 

January 

8. 

January 

11. 

January 

20. 

January 

24. 

January 

28. 

January 

3i- 

December 

24. 

December 

31- 

January 

8. 

January 

17- 

February 

2. 

January 

21. 

January 

25- 

January 

2b. 

February 

2. 

January 

21. 

January 

25- 

January 

2b. 

February 

2. 

January 

28. 

January 

51- 

January 

28. 

January 

31- 

January 

24. 

January 

26. 

February 

1. 

February 

8. 

Temperature  to  which  exposed  10  minutes. 


60°,  Cont. 

700,  80,  90,  100,  Cont. 
6o°,  62,  64,  Cont. 

6o°,  Cont. 

58°*   60*  620,  Cont. 

50°,  52  *  54  *  Cont. 

580,  60,  62,  64,  Cont. 
54°,  56  *  58.  Cont. 
5 6°,  58,  Cont. 

6o°  Cont. 
50°,  Cont. 
54°,  56,  58,  Cont. 

700,  80,  Cont. 
46°,  48,  50,  Cont. 
580,  60,  62,  64,  Cont. 
52°,  54*  Cont. 
54°,  56,  58,  Cont. 

56°  *  60,  Cont. 
560,  58,  Cont. 
52°  *  54,*  56,  Cont. 
54°,  56,  58,  Cont. 

56°,  60,  Cont. 
S6°,  58,  Cont. 
52°*  54*  56*  Cont. 
54°  *  56,  S8,  Cont. 

50°,  60,  Cont. 
540,  56,  58,  Cont. 

50°,  60,  Cont. 
54°,  56,  58,  Cont. 

60°,*  Cont. 
52°,  54,  56,  Cont. 
6o°,  62,  64,  Cont. 
54°,  56,  58,  Cont. 


144  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

TABLE  NO.  XL 
POTATO    CULTURES    IN    INCUBATING    OVEN    FOR    THREE    DAYS    AT  38°  TO 

TEST    FOR    SPORES. 
(No  spores  seen  on  microscopic  examination  of  stained  cover-glass  preparations.) 


Organism. 

Date. 

Temperature  to  which  exposed. 

Bacillus  pyocyanus   . 

March  1,  1887. 

6o°,  65,  Cont. 

Emmerich's  bacillus . 

<«            <( 

6o°,  65,  Cont. 

Brieger's  bacillus 

«            « 

6o°,  65,  Cont. 

Bacillus  acidi  lactici . 

M                u 

60°,  65,  Cont. 

TABLE  NO.  XII. 
OLD    CULTURES    IN    FLESH-PEPTONE-GELATINE    TO    TEST    FOR    SPORES. 

(March  7,  1887.) 


Organism. 

Age  of  culture. 

Temperature  to  which  exposed. 

Brieger's  bacillus 

36  days. 

6o°,  65,  Cont. 

Emmerich's  bacillus . 

43    " 

6o°,  65,  Cont. 

Bacillus  pyocyanus    . 

46    " 

6o°,  65,  Cont. 

Bacillus  fluorescens  . 

42    « 

6o°,  65,  Cont. 

Bacillus  cyanogenus 

33    ° 

6o°,  55,  Cont. 

Bacillus  acidi  lactici . 

42    " 

60°,  65,  Cont. 

It  will  be  seen  that  in  all  of  these  experiments  the  lactic  acid  ferment 
is  the  only  one  which  resisted  a  temperature  of  6o°  C.  ;  and  if  the  pres- 
ence of  spores  could  be  determined  by  this  test,  this  is  the  only  organism 
in  the  list  in  which  there  is  any  evidence  of  spore  formation.  I  am  not, 
however,  disposed  to  accept  this  test,  and  think  it  not  improbable  that 
some  of  the  bacilli  in  the  list  form  reproductive  spores,  which  differ  from 
those  of  the  anthrax  bacillus  and  certain  other  spore-forming  bacilli,  in 
the  fact  that  they  are  destroyed  at  a  comparatively  low  temperature. 
The  only  way  to  settle  this  question  will  be  by  the  method  of  direct 
observation.  If  the  refractive  spherical  bodies,  supposed  to  be  spores, 
which  may  be  seen  in  potato  cultures  of  the  typhoid  bacillus,  in  bouillon 
cultures  of  the  bacillus  of  swine  plague,  etc.,  are  observed  to  develop 
into  bacilli,  they  will  be  demonstrated  to  be  reproductive  elements,  or 
spores,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they  are  destroyed  by  so  low  a  tem- 
perature as  6o°  C. 

The  following  experiments  have  been  made  with  pathogenic  and  non- 
pathogenic bacilli  which  are  known  to  form  spores : 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 
TABLE  NO.  XIII. 


145 


Organism. 

Date. 

Temperature  to  which  exposed, 
ten  minutes. 

Bacillus  alvei  (foul  brood  of  bees)     \ 
Wurtzel  bacillus     .         .         .         .    < 
Bacillus  butrycus    .         .         .         .    \ 

December    8, 
December  30, 

January  24, 
January  28, 

December  28, 
December  31, 

80%  Cont. 
90°,  100,  Cont. 

60°,  Cont. 

70°,  80,  90,  Cont. 

80°,  Cont. 
90°,  100,  Cont. 

The  following  experiments  have  been  made  upon  these  spore-forming 

bacilli  at  a  temperature  of  ioo°  C.  (21 20  F.),  the  time  of  exposure  being 

varied  : 

TABLE  NO.  XIV. 


Organism. 

Date. 

Time  of  exposure  in  minutes. 

Anthrax  bacillus 

February  9, 

2,*  4,  6,  8,  10,  Cont. 

*A  single  colony. 

Bacillus  alvei          .... 

February  9, 

2,*  4.  6,  8,  10,  Cont. 

*  A  few  colonies. 

Bacillus  butrycus    .... 

February  9, 

2,  4,  6,  8,  10,  Cont. 

Wurtzel  bacillus     .... 

March  4, 

2,*  4»  6,  8,  10,  Cont. 

*  A  single  colony. 

My  experiments  upon  micrococci  are  recorded  in  the  following  table 

TABLE  NO.  XV. 
RECENT    CULTURES    OF    MICROCOCCI    IN    FLESH-PEPTONE-GELATINE. 


Organism. 


Micrococcus  of  osteomyelitis . 
Staphylococcus  pyog.  aureus 
Staphylococcus  pyog.  citreus 

Staphylococcus  pyog.  albus 

Streptococcus  erysipelatus 

Micrococcus  tetragenus 
Micrococcus  Pasteuri     .     . 


Date. 


December  8,  1886. 
December  20, 
February  8,  1887. 

January  11,  1887. 

January  8,  1887. 
January  II, 
January  20, 

December  26,  1886. 
January  11,  1887. 

December  28,  1886. 
January  20,  1887. 
January  25, 

January  25,  1887. 

March  29,  1887. 
April  7, 


Temperature  to  which 
exposed  ten  minutes. 


50°,  52,  54,  56,  58,  Cont. 
52°,  54,  56,*  Cont. 
54°,  56,*  58,  Cont. 

54°,  56,*  58,  60,  Cont 

58,°  60,*  62,  64,  Cont. 
54,°  56,  58,*  60.* 
56,°  58,*  60,  Cont. 

52°,  54,  56,*  Cont. 
54,°  56,  58,*  60.* 

48°,  50,  52,  Cont. 
50°,  52,  58,  Cont. 
54°,  56,  Cont. 

54°,  56,*  58,  Cont. 

50°,  52,  54, 56, 58,  Cont. 
46°,  48,  50,*  52,  Cont. 


I46  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

TABLE  NO.  XVI. 
FRESH    CULTURES    OF    SARCINJE    IN    FLESH-PEPTONE-GELATINE. 


Organism. 


Sarcina  aurantiaca 


Sarcina  lutea 


Date. 


December  24,  1886. 
January  11,  1887. 
January  18, 

December  29,  1886. 
January  7,  1887. 
January  11, 
January  18, 


Temperature  to  which  exposed. 


56°,  58,*  60,*  Cont. 
54°,  56,  58,*  60. 
580,  6o,  Cont. 

56°,  58,*  60,*  Cont. 
58°,  60,*  62,*  64,  Cont. 
56°,  58,  60,*  Cont. 
60°,*  62,  64,  Cont. 


Gonococcus  of  Neisser.  Believing,  as  I  now  do,  that  this  organism 
is  the  cause  of  the  infectious  virulence  of  gonorrheal  secretions  (see 
The  Medical  News  of  Feb.  26,  1887),  I  have  made  the  following  experi- 
ment with  reference  to  its  thermal  death-point.  Some  gonorrheal  pus 
from  a  recent  case  which  had  not  undergone  treatment,  was  collected 
for  me  by  my  friend,  Dr.  George  H.  Rohe,  in  the  capillary  tubes  here- 
tofore described.  A  microscopical  examination  of  stained  cover-glass 
preparations  showed  that  this  pus  contained  numerous  "  gonococci "  in 
the  interior  of  the  cells.  Two  of  the  capillary  tubes  were  placed  in  a 
water  bath  maintained  at  6o°  C.  for  ten  minutes.  The  pus  was  then 
forced  out  upon  two  pledgets  of  sterilized  cotton  wet  with  distilled 
water.  Two  healthy  men  had  consented  to  submit  to  the  experiment, 
and  one  of  these  bits  of  cotton  was  introduced  into  the  urethra  of  each, 
and  left  in  situ  for  half  an  hour.  As  anticipated,  the  result  was  entirely 
negative.  For  obvious  reasons  no  control  experiment  was  made,  and 
no  attempt  was  made  to  fix  the  thermal  death-point  within  narrower 
limits. 

In  connection  with  these  experiments  upon  the  thermal  death-point  of 
known  pathogenic  organisms,  it  is  of  interest  to  inquire  whether  the 
virulence  of  infectious  material,  in  which  it  has  not  yet  been  demonstrated 
that  this  virulence  is  due  to  a  micro-organism,  is  destroyed  by  a  corre- 
spondently  low  temperature.  Evidently,  if  this  proves  to  be  the  case,  it 
will  be  a  strong  argument  in  favor  of  the  view  that  we  have  to  deal  with 
a  micro-organism  in  these  diseases  also.  We  have  experimental  proof 
that  a  large  number  of  pathogenic  organisms  are  killed  by  exposure  for 
ten  minutes  to  a  temperature  of  from  550  to  6o°  C.  But,  so  far  as  I  am 
aware,  this  low  temperature  would  not  be  likely  to  destroy  any  of  the 
poisonous  chemical  products  which  might  be  supposed  to  be  the  cause 
of  infective  virulence,  leaving  aside  the  fact  that  such  chemical  products 
have  no  power  of  self-multiplication,  and,  therefore,  could  not  be  the 
independent  cause  of  an  infectious  disease. 

Vaccine  Virus.  Carstens  and  Coert  have  experimented  upon  the 
temperature  required  to  destroy  the  potency  of  vaccine  virus.  In  a 
paper  read  at  the  meeting  of  the  International  Medical  Congress,  in 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 47 

1879,  they  report  as  the  result  of  their  experiments  that  the  maximum 
degree  of  heat  to  which  fresh  vaccine  can  be  exposed  without  losing  its 
virulence  probably  varies  between  520  and  540  C.  Fresh  animal  vaccine 
heated  to  520  C.  for  thirty  minutes  does  not  lose  its  virulence.  Fresh 
animal  vaccine  heated  to  54. 50  C.  for  thirty  minutes  loses  its  virulence. 

Rinderpest.  According  to  Semmer  and  Raupach,1  exposure  for  ten 
minutes  to  a  temperature  of  550  C.  destroys  the  virulence  of  the  infectious 
material  in  this  disease. 

Sheep-pox.  The  authors  last  mentioned2  have  also  found  that  the 
same  temperature — 550  C.  for  ten  minutes — destroys  the  virulence  of  the 
blood  of  an  animal  dead  from  sheep-pox. 

Hydrophobia.  Desiring  to  fix  the  thermal  death-point  of  the  virus  of 
hydrophobia,  I  obtained,  through  the  kindness  of  Dr.  H.  C.  Ernst,  a 
rabbit  which  had  been  inoculated,  by  the  method  of  trephining,  with 
material  which  came  originally  from  Pasteur's  laboratory  (see  Dr. 
Ernst's  paper  in  the  April  number  of  the  Sanitariani).  The  rabbit  sent 
me  showed  the  first  symptoms  of  paralytic  rabies  on  the  eighth  day  after 
inoculation.  It  died  on  the  eleventh  day  (March  2,  1887),  and  I  at  once 
proceeded  to  make  the  following  experiment : 

A  portion  of  the  medulla  was  removed,  and  thoroughly  mixed  with 
sterilized  water.  The  milky  emulsion  was  introduced  into  four  capillary 
tubes,  such  as  had  been  used  in  my  experiments  heretofore  recorded. 
Two  of  these  tubes  were  then  placed  for  ten  minutes  in  a  water  bath, 
the  temperature  of  which  was  maintained  at  6o°  C.  Four  rabbits  were 
now  inoculated  by  trephining,  two  with  the  material  exposed  to  6o°  C. 
for  ten  minutes,  and  two  with  the  same  material  from  the  capillary  tubes 
not  so  exposed.  The  result  was  as  definite  and  satisfactory  as  possible. 
The  two  control  rabbits  were  taken  sick,  one  on  March  10,  and  one  on 
the  nth  ;  both  died  with  the  characteristic  symptoms  of  paralytic  rabies 
on  the  third  day.  The  two  rabbits  inoculated  with  material  exposed  to 
6o°  C.  remained  in  perfect  health.  On  the  26th  of  March  one  of  these 
rabbits  was  again  inoculated  by  trephining  with  material  from  the  me- 
dulla of  a  rabbit  just  dead  from  hydrophobia.  This  rabbit  died  from 
paralytic  rabies  on  the  8th  of  April.  Its  companion  remains  in  perfect 
health. 

A  second  experiment  was  made  in  the  same  way  on  the  14th  of 
March.  Two  rabbits  were  inoculated  with  material  exposed  for  ten 
minutes  to  a  temperature  of  500  C.  ;  two  with  material  exposed  for  the 
same  time  to  a  temperature  of  550  C.  ;  and  two  control  rabbits  with 
material  not  so  exposed.  One  of  the  rabbits  inoculated  with  material 
exposed  to  500  C.  and  one  of  the  control  rabbits  died  on  the  25th  ;  the 
other  rabbit  inoculated  with  the  material  exposed  to  500,  the  other  con- 
trol, and  one  inoculated  with  material  exposed  to  550,  on  the  26th.  The 
second  rabbit  inoculated  with  material  exposed  to  550  died  five  days 
later  with  the  characteristic  symptoms  of  the  disease. 

1  Deutsche  Zeitschrift  fur  Thier  med.,  vii,  p.  347. 

2  Ibid. 


148  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

These  experiments  show,  then,  that  the  virus  of  hydrophobia  is 
destroyed  by  a  temperature  of  6o°  C,  and  that  550  C.  fails  to  destroy 
it,  the  time  of  exposure  being  ten   minutes. 

Bacillus  Tuberculosis.  Schill  and  Fischer  (1884),  assuming  that 
the  tubercle  bacillus  forms  spores,  made  quite  a  number  of  experiments 
to  determine  its  thermal  death-point.  Using  fresh  sputum  as  the  mate- 
rial, and  testing  the  destruction  of  the  vitality  of  the  bacilli  contained  in 
this  material  by  inoculations  into  guinea-pigs,  they  found  that  exposure 
to  a  temperature  of  ioo°  C,  in  steam,  was  efficient  when  the  time  of 
exposure  was  five  minutes.  When  the  time  was  reduced  to  two  minutes 
a  negative  result  was  obtained  in  two  out  of  three  guinea-pigs  inoculated, 
but  in  one  death  from  tuberculosis  occurred. 

As  this  one  guinea-pig  furnishes  the  only  evidence  offered  by  these 
experimenters  that  the  tubercle  bacillus  requires  a  temperature  of  ioo°" 
for  its  destruction,  I  have  made  a  single  experiment  at  lower  temper- 
atures. On  the  8th  of  March  I  obtained,  through  the  courtesy  of  Dr. 
Wm.  T.  Councilman,  some  perfectly  fresh  tuberculous  sputum  from  a 
patient  in  the  Bay  View  hospital.  A  cover-glass  preparation  stained  by 
Ehrlich's  method  showed  an  abundance  of  tubercle  bacilli.  The  sputum, 
mixed  with  sterilized  bouillon,  was  drawn  into  the  small  glass  tubes 
used  in  my  experiments  as  heretofore  described.  Two  tubes  were  pre- 
pared for  each  animal,  the  contents  of  one  being  injected  into  the  cavity 
of  the  abdomen,  and  of  the  other  into  the  sub-cutaneous  connective  tissue 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  axilla.  One  guinea-pig  was  injected  with  sputum 
which  had  been  exposed  for  ten  minutes  to  a  temperature  of  500  C- 
(No.  1)  ;  one  to  sputum  exposed  for  the  same  time  to  6o°  C.  (No.  2)  ; 
one  at  700  C.  (No.  3)  ;  one  at  So°  C.  (No.  4)  ;  one  at  900  C.  (No.  5)  ; 
and  one  (No.  6)  with  material  not  heated,  to  serve  as  a  control.  The 
control  guinea-pig  died  of  septicaemia  a  week  after  the  inoculation- 
No.  3  (700  C.)  died  on  the  5th  of  April,  cause  of  death  uncertain  ;  no  evi- 
dence of  tuberculosis  was  found  upon  post-mortem  examination.  No.  1 
(500  C.)  died  April  24,  and  was  found  to  be  tuberculous.  No.  2 
(6o°  C.)  and  No.  4  (8o°  C.)  remained  in  good  health  up  to  April  26, 
when  they  were  killed,  and  no  evidence  of  tuberculosis  found.  No.  5 
(900  C.)  died  on  April  26  ;  it  was  not  tuberculous.  In  view  of  these 
results  it  is  evident  that  further  experiments  are  required  to  determine 
the  exact  thermal  death-point  of  the  tubercle  bacillus,  which  there  is 
reason  to  believe  may  be  found  not  to  be  so  high  as  has  been  com- 
monly supposed,  possibly  not  higher  than  that  of  the  tvphoid  bacillus 
(56°  C.  =  132.8°  F.). 

Having  fixed  the  thermal  death-point  of  various  micro-organisms  for  a 
standard  time  of  exposure,  the  question  arises  as  to  the  influence  of  this 
element — time  of  exposure — in  destroying  the  same  organisms  at  a  given 
temperature.  To  determine  this,  I  have  selected  two  test  organisms, — 
the  bacillus  of  typhoid  fever,  and  the  staphylococcus  pyogenes  albus. 
My  experiments  are  recorded  in  the  following  table  : 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 
TABLE  NO.  XVII. 


I49 


Organism. 

Date. 

Temper- 
ature. 

Time  of  exposure  in  minutes. 

Typhoid  bacillus      .     . 
Staph,  pyog.  albus  .     . 

Typhoid  bacillus      .     . 
Staph,  pyog.  albus   .     . 

1887. 
|  April  23. 

>  April  27. 

50°  C.  | 
52°  C.  | 

60,  80,  100,  120,  140. 
60,  80,  100,  120,  140. 

20,  30,  40,  50,  60,  70,  80,  90. 
20,  30,  40,  50,  60,  70,  80,  90. 

My  departure  for  Brazil  prevented  me  from  completing  the  experi- 
ment, but  the  results  recorded  in  the  table  show  that  at  520  C.  these 
organisms  are  not  destroyed  even  at  the  end  of  an  hour  and  a  half. 

In  connection  with  the  question  of  the  degree  of  heat  which  is  fatal  to 
pathogenic  bacteria,  it  is  of  interest  to  know  whether  they  are  destroyed 
by  freezing.  Numerous  experiments  have  been  made  with  reference  to 
this  question,  and  all  agree  in  showing  that  most  bacteria  have  a  very 
great  resisting  power  to  cold.  Thus,  Cohn  found  that  a  temperature  of 
—  1S0  C.  was  not  fatal  to  certain  species  of  bacteria. 

Frisch  (1877)  by  the  evaporation  of  liquefied  carbonic  acid  produced 
as  low  a  temperature  as  — 87°  C,  and  exposed  liquids  containing  bac- 
teria to  this  temperature,  which  failed  to  destroy  the  vitality  both  of 
micrococci  and  of  bacilli. 

Recently  Dr.  T.  M.  Prudden,1  of  New  York,  has  made  extended 
experiments  upon  the  influence  of  repeated  freezing  upon  the  vitality  of 
bacteria.  According  to  this  author,  certain  bacteria  resist  protracted 
freezing,  while  others  fail  to  grow  when  they  have  been  subjected  to  a 
freezing  temperature  for  a  certain  time.  Thus  bacillus  prodigiosus  was 
destroyed  by  being  frozen  for  51  days;  proteus  vulgaris,  in  the  same 
time  ;  a  slender  fluidifying  bacillus  from  Croton  water,  in  7  days.  On 
the  other  hand,  staphylococcus  pyogenes  aureus  was  not  destroyed  by 
exposure  to  a  freezing  temperature  for  66  days  ;  a  ^fluorescent  bacillus 
from  Hudson  river  ice"  survived  the  freezing  temperature  for  77  days; 
the  bacillus  of  typhoid  fever  survived  after  103  days.  In  the  case  of  all 
of  these  organisms,  however,  a  diminution  in  the  number  of  bacilli  was 
noted,  corresponding  with  the  length  of  time  during  which  they  were 
exposed  to  a  freezing  temperature.  This  is  shown  in  the  following 
table,  which  we  copy  from  Prudden's  paper : 

1  The  Medical  Record,  New  York,  March  26  and  April  2,  1887. 


150  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

TABLE  NO.  VI.     {Prudden.) 
THE    BACILLUS    OF    TYPHOID    FEVER. 


Time.' 

Number  of  bacteria  in 
1  c.  c.  of  water. 

Before  freezing     . 

innumerable. 

Frozen  1 1  days 

.  ."    . 

1,019,403 

Frozen  27  days 

336,457 

Frozen  42  days 

89,796 

Frozen  69  days 



24,276 

Frozen  77  days 



72,930 

Frozen  103  days  . 

7,348 

Repeated  freezing  and  thawing  were  found  by  Prudden  to  be  more 
fatal  to  the  typhoid  bacillus  than  continuous  freezing.     This  is  shown  in 


the  following  table  : 


TABLE  NO.. VII.     {Prudden.) 


RESULT    OF    ALTERNATE    FREEZING    AND    THAWING    ON    THE    TYPHOID 
BACILLI FRESH,    ACTIVE    CULTURE. 


Frozen  solid,  an 

d  remained  so. 

Frozen  solid,  but  repeatedly  thawed  and 
immediately  refrozen. 

Time. 

Number  of  bacteria 
in  1  c.  c.  of  water. 

i     Number  of  times 
•  thawed  and  refrozen. 

Number  of  bacteria 
in  1  c.  c.  of  water. 

Before  freezing   .     . 

40,896 

40,896 

Frozen  24  hours 

29,780 

3 

90 

Frozen  3  days     .     . 

1,800 

5 

0 

Frozen  4  days      .     . 

950 

6 

0 

Frozen  5  days      .     . 

2,490 

i     • 

0 

For  convenience  of  reference  the  results  obtained  in  my  own  experi- 
mental studies,  and  those  of  others  referred  to,  are  brought  together  in  a 
single  table.  Where  the  determination  has  not  been  made  by  myself,  the 
authority  is  given  in  parenthesis  after  the  name  of  the  organism.  The 
time  of  exposure  is  ten  minutes  unless  otherwise  indicated  by  figures  in 
parenthesis  following  those  representing  the  temperature.  The  table 
includes  those  non-pathogenic  organisms  which  have  been  tested  as  well 
as  those  which  are  recognized  as  pathogenic.  In  this  table  I  have  adopted 
the  nomenclature  used  by  Flugge  in  his  recent  work,  Die  Micro-  Organ- 
ismen : 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

TABLE  NO.  XVIII. 

THERMAL    DEATH-POINT    OF    MICRO-ORGANISMS. 


*5* 


Name  of  Organism. 


Spirillum  choleras  Asiaticae 

Spirillum  tyrogenum1 

Spirillum  Finkler-Prior 

Bacillus  anthracis  (Chauveau) 

Bacillus  typhi  abdominalis 

Bacillus  mallei2  (Loftier)     . 

Bacillus  of  schweine-rothlauf  (rouget  of  Pasteur) 

Bacillus  murissepticus 

Bacillus  Neapolitanus3 

Bacillus  cavicida* 

Bacillus  pneumoniae5  . 

Bacillus  crassus  sputigenus 

Bacillus  pyocyanus 

Bacillus  indicus  . 

Bacillus  prodigiosus    . 

Bacillus  cyanogenus    . 

Bacillus  fluorescein8   . 

Bacillus  gallinarum  (Salmon)7 

Bacillus  acidi  lactici8  . 

Bacillus  alvei ;  spores 

Bacillus  anthracis ;  spores 

Bacillus  butrycus ;.  spores  . 

Bacillus  mycoides  ;  spores 

Bacillus  tuberculosis  (Schill  and  Fischer) 

Staphylococcus  pyogenes  aureus 

Staphylococcus  pyogenes  citreus 

Styphylococcus  pyogenes  albus 

Streptococcus  erysipelatos 

Micrococcus  tetragenus 

Micrococcus  Pasteuri 

Micrococcus  gonorrhoea9    . 

Sarcina  lutea 

Sarcina  aurantiaca 

Vaccine  virus  (Carstens  and  Coert) 

Rinderpest  virus  (Semmer  and  Raupach) 

Sheep  poxvirus  (Semmer  and  Raupach) 

Hydrophobia  virus      .... 


j  Centrigrade. 

Fahrenheit. 

52° 

I25.6°(4ni.) 

52 

125.6  (4  m.) 

50 

122 

54 

129.2 

56 

138.8 

55 

131 

58 

136.4 

53 

136.4 

62 

143.6 

62 

143.6 

56 

132.8 

54 

129.2 

56 

132.8 

53 

136.4 

58 

136.4 

54 

129.2 

54 

129.2 

56 

I32-5 

56 

132.8 

100 

212  (4  m.) 

100 

212  (4  m.) 

100 

212  (4  m.) 

100 

212  (4  m.) 

100 

212  (4  m.) 

53 

136.4 

62 

143.6 

62 

143.6 

54 

129.2 

53 

136.4 

52 

125.6 

60 

140 

64 

147.2 

62 

143.6 

54 

129.2 

55 

131 

55 

*3« 

60 

140 

By  reference  to  the  various  tables  giving  the  experimental  data  in 
detail,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  results  are  not  absolutely  uniform  for  the 
same  organism.     Thus,  in  the  experiments  upon  the  typhoid  bacillus  no 


2  Bacillus  of  glanders. 
4  Brieger's  bacillus. 


1  Cheese  spirillum. 

3  Emmerich's  bacillus. 

s  Friedlander's.  e  From  water. 

7  Pasteur's  "  microbe  du  cholera  des  poules." 

»  Old  culture  in  flesh-peptone-gelatine  not  killed  by  6o°,  probably  owing  to  the  presence  of  spores. 

9  A  single  experiment.     A  lower  temperature  would  probably  be  effective. 


I52  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

growth  occurred  after  exposure  to  550  in  one  experiment  (January  15), 
while  in  another  (November  30)  colonies  of  the  typhoid  bacillus  grew 
out  after  exposure  to  this  temperature.  In  this  case  the  thermal  death- 
point  is  placed  at  56°,  no  growth  having  occurred  after  exposure  to  this 
temperature.  Similar  differences,  when  the  temperature  approaches 
that  which  is  uniformly  successful  in  destroying  vitality,  may  be  observed 
with  reference  to  several  of  the  organisms  tested.  But  these  differences 
are  within  comparatively  narrow  limits.  They  are  probably  due  partly 
to  a  difference  in  resisting  power  depending  upon  the  age  of  the  culture, 
and  partly  to  unavoidable  variations  in  the  temperature  during  the  exper- 
iments. By  very  careful  supervision  and  frequent  stirring  of  the  water- 
bath,  variations  in  the  temperature  have  been  kept  within  narrow  limits, 
but  it  has  been  impossible  to  avoid  them  entirely.  The  same  thermom- 
eter has  been  used  throughout.      (Made  by  Schlag  and  Berend,  Berlin.) 

No  attempt  has  been  made  to  fix  the  thermal  death-point  within  nar- 
rower limits  than  2°  C,  and  in  the  above  table  the  lowest  temperature 
is  given  which  has  been  found,  in  the  experiments  made,  to  destroy  all 
of  the  organisms  in  the  material  subjected  to  the  test.  No  doubt  more 
extended  experiments  would  result,  in  some  instances,  in  a  reduction  of 
the  temperature  given  as  the  thermal  death-point  for  a  degree  or  more. 
But  the  results  as  stated  are  sufficiently  accurate  for  all  practical  pur- 
poses, and  permit  us  to  draw  some  general  conclusions : 

{a)  The  temperature  required  to  destroy  the  vitality  of  pathogenic 
organisms  varies  for  different  organisms. 

(6)  In  the  absence  of  spores,  the  limits  of  variation  are  about  io° 
C.  (180  F.). 

(c)  A  temperature  of  560  C.  (132. 8°  F.)  is  fatal  to  the  bacillus  of 
anthrax,  the  bacillus  of  typhoid  fever,  the  bacillus  of  glanders,  the  spi- 
rillum of  Asiatic  cholera,  the  erysipelas  coccus,  to  the  virus  of  vaccinia, 
of  rinderpest,  of  sheep-pox,  and  probably  of  several  other  infectious 
diseases. 

(d)  A  temperature  of  620  C.  (143. 6°  F.)  is  fatal  to  all  of  the  patho- 
genic and  non-pathogenic  organisms  tested,  in  the  absence  of  spores 
(with  the  single  exception  of  sarcina  lutea,  which,  in  one  experiment, 
grew  after  exposure  to  this  temperature). 

(e)  A  temperature  of  ioo°  C.  (2120  F.)  maintained  for  five  minutes 
destroys  the  spores  of  all  pathogenic  organisms  tested. 

(J")  It  is  probable  that  some  of  the  bacilli  which  are  destroyed  by  a 
temperature  of  6o°  C.  form  endogenous  spores  which  are  also  destroyed 
at  this  temperature.1 

There  are  micro-organisms  of  the  same  class  as  those  included  in  the 
above  list,  which  have  a  far  greater  resisting  power  to  heat  than  those 
which  I  have  tested.  Some  are  even  able  to  develop  in  culture  media 
kept  at  a  temperature  of  from  6o°  to  700  C,  and  the  spores  of  certain 
bacilli  resist  a  temperature  considerably  above  that  of  boiling  water  ; 
but,  in  my  opinion,  it  would  be  exacting  too  much  to  require,  in  our 

1  This  question  demands  further  experimental  investigation. 


REPOh'T  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 53 

practical  attempts  at  disinfection,  a  temperature  capable  of  destroying 
the  most  resistant  of  these  spores,  which  are  found  in  the  earth,  and,  so 
far  as  we  know,  are  in  no  way  concerned  with  disease  processes. 

Miquel,  in  1SS1,  described  a  motionless  bacillus,  found  in  the  waters 
of  the  Seine,  which  grew  luxuriantly  in  bouillo?i  at  a  temperature  of 
from  690  to  700  C.  Van  Tieghem  has  also  reported  the  fact  that  he  has 
cultivated  several  different  species  of  bacteria  at  a  temperature  of  from 
6o°  to  700  C.  Quite  recently,  Globig,  in  a  paper  published  in  the  Zeit- 
schriftfur  Hygiene,  reports  that  he  has  been  able  to  cultivate  at  a  tem- 
perature of  from  500  to  700  C.  several  different  species  of  bacteria,  which 
arc  found  in  the  superficial  strata  of  the  earth.  The  same  author,1  in  a 
series  of  experiments  upon  the  resisting  power  of  spores  obtained  from 
this  source,  found  certain  ones  which  resisted  a  remarkably  high  tem- 
perature. He  states  that  the  spores  of  one  species,  which  he  desig- 
nates the  red  potato-bacillus,  were  not  killed  by  exposure  for  ninety 
minutes  to  a  solution  of  1  to  100  of  corrosive  sublimate,  or  by  fourteen 
days'  immersion  in  a  five  per  cent,  solution  of  carbolic  acid.  From  five 
and  a  half  to  six  hours  was  required  to  destroy  these  spores  in  a  current 
of  steam  at  ioo°.  They  survived  after  exposure  for  three  fourths  of  an 
hour  in  steam  under  pressure  at  a  temperature  of  from  T090  to  1130  C. 
They  were,  however,  destroyed  in  twenty-five  minutes  by  exposure  in 
steam  at  from  ii3°to  1160,  in  two  minutes  at  1270,  and  instantlv  at 
1300  C. 

SECTION   II.— CHLORIDE   OF   LIME. 

The  comparative  cheapness  of  chlorinated  lime,  and  its  efficiency  as  a 
disinfectant,  as  shown  by  extended  experiments  made  under  the  writer's 
direction  in  1SS5,  induced  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants  to  give  to  this 
agent  the  first  place  among  chemical  disinfectants. 

In  the  "  Conclusions"  given  in  the  report  of  this  committee  for  1S85, 
a  four  per  cent,  solution  is  recommended  for  the  destruction  of"  spore- 
containing  infectious  material, "  and  for  excreta.  In  a  foot  note,  the 
standard  of  strength  in  available  chlorine  is  fixed  at  '*  at  least  twenty-five 
per  cent." 

In  the  same  report  (Reports  and  Papers,  A.  P.  H.  A.,  vol.  xi,  p.  202) 
the  writer  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  an  oxidizing  disinfectant  is  itself 
destroyed  in  the  reaction  to  which  its  disinfecting  power  is  due,  and  that 
therefore  it  is  necessary  to  use  such  disinfecting  agents  "  in  excess  of  the 
organic  material  to  be  destroyed,  otherwise  germs  included  in  masses  of 
material  not  acted  upon  would  be  left  intact  in  a  fluid  which  is  no  longer 
of  any  value  for  their  destruction  ;  and  as  a  few  germs  may  be  as  potent 
for  mischief  as  a  large  number,  there  would  be  a  complete  failure  to 
accomplish  the  object  in  view." 

Keeping  this  fact  in  view,  and  guided  by  the  experimental  data  given 
on  pages  199-201  of  the  report  referred  to,  and  by  the  writer's  experi- 
ments upon  normal  feces  (p.  269),  the  committee  recommended  (p.  278) 

1  Zeitschrift  fiir  Hyigene,  Bd.  iii,  Heft.  2,  p.  322. 


154  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

the  use  of  one  quart  of  a  standard  solution  of  chloride  of  lime  containing- 
four  ounces  to  the  gallon  for  the  disinfection  of  each  discharge  in  typhoid 
fever,  cholera,  etc. 

In  summing  up  the  results  obtained  in  his  experiments  for  the  Com- 
mittee on  Disinfectants,  Dr.  Duggan  says, — 

The  foregoing  experiments  show  that  a  solution  containing  .25  of  1  per  cent.  (1  part  to 
400)  of  chlorine,  as  hypochlorite,  is  an  effective  germicide,  even  when  allowed  to  act  only- 
one  or  two  minutes,  while  .06  of  1  per  cent.  (6  parts  to  10,000)  will  kill  spores  of  B.  an- 
thracis  and  B.  subtilis  in  two  hours.  A  simple  calculation  will  show  that  all  the  solutions 
used  were  effective  when  diluted  to  about  this  strength,  and  failed  a  little  below  it.  No 
better  evidence  could  be  had  of  the  excellent  method  of  Dr.  Sternberg  for  testing  agents 
of  this  kind.  These  experiments  were  all  made  in  duplicate,  and  they  showed  a  con- 
cordance which  I  am  satisfied  can  be  obtained  by  no  other  method  with  which  I  am 
acquainted. 

Notwithstanding  the  very  satisfactory  nature  of  the  experimental  evi- 
dence above  referred  to,  I  have  thought  best,  in  view  of  the  great  impor- 
tance of  the  subject,  to  have  additional  experiments  made  by  an  indepen- 
dent investigator  and  by  a  different  method.  This  seemed  the  more 
desirable,  as  some  foreign  experimenters  have  reached  results  which  seem 
not  to  be  in  accord  with  those  above  referred  to.  As,  however,  the  amount 
of  available  chlorine  in  the  samples  of  chloride  of  lime  which  these  investi- 
gators have  employed  in  their  experiments  has  in  no  case  been  stated,  it  is 
impossible  to  compare  their  results  with  our  own,  or  to  attach  any  great 
scientific  value  to  them. 

In  Koch's  experiments,  published  in  the  first  volume  of  the  Mitthei- 
lungen  aus  dem  Kaiserlichen  Gcsundheitsamte,  the  statement  is  made 
that  a  five  per  cent,  solution  of  chloride  of  lime  (value  in  available  chlo- 
rine not  given)  failed  in  two  days  to  destroy  the  vitality  of  anthrax 
spores,  but  was  effective  in  five  days. 

Van  Ermengem,  in  his  work  entitled  "  Le  Microbe  du  Cholera 
Asiatiquc  (1S85),  says, — 

Dry  chloride  of  lime,  the  mixtures  of  the  hypochlorites  known  under  the  name  of 
Labarraque's  solution,  Javelle  water,  and  the  sulphate  of  iron  enjoy  a  reputation  which  is 
not  sustained  by  laboratory  experiments.  A  few  tests  have  convinced  me  that  these  sub- 
stances have  only  a  doubtful  efficacy  for  disinfecting  the  excreta  of  cholera  patients. 

Experiment  XXV.  I  have  added  a  notable  quantity  of  a  commercial  product  known 
under  the  name  of  liquid  chloride  of  lime  (hypochlorite  of  soda)  to  a  culture  bouillon, 
before  obtaining  a  complete  sterilization  of  this  liquid.  Mixtures  in  the  proportion  of 
1  :  30  have  been  required  to  give  sterile  products. 

Dry  chloride  of  lime  is  scarcely  more  active  when  one  adds  it  to  a  culture  in  bouillon. 

Seitz,  in  an  extended  series  of  experiments  upon  the  bacillus  of  typhoid 
fever1  reports  a  few  experiments  with  this  agent.  A  five  per  cent,  solu- 
tion was  found  to  destroy  vitality  in  five  minutes  (p.  39)  when  a  pure 
culture  was  used,  but  a  solution  of  the  same  strength  failed  after  three 
days  to  disinfect  typhoid  stools.  Unfortunately,  this  author  also  fails  to 
state  the  amount  of  available  chlorine  present  in  his  solution. 

Chloride  of  lime  must  be  kept  in  air-tight  receptacles,  or  it  soon  loses 

1  "  Bakterialogischen  Studien  zur  Typhus — Aetiologie."    Munchen,  1886. 


REPORT  OF   COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


155 


its  value  for  disinfecting  purposes.  But,  when  properly  packed,  it  keeps 
perfectly  well,  and  as  offered  for  sale  in  this  country  I  have  usually  found 
it  to  exceed  the  standard  of  strength  fixed  by  the  Committee  on  Disin- 
fectants— 25  per  cent.  A  sample  bought  a  few  days  since  at  the  nearest 
drug  store  was  found  to  contain  34.5  per  cent,  of  available  chlorine.  It 
was  contained  in  a  pasteboard  box,  lined  with  rosin  (Rozengrantz 
patent),  and  bore  the  label  of  C.  F.  Risley  &  Co.,  New  York.  The 
package  contained  four  ounces,  and  cost  five  cents. 

Dr.  Bolton's  experiments  have  been  made  with  chloride  of  lime  put 
up  for  the  medical  department  of  the  army  in  twenty-pound  jars,  which 
bear  the  label  of  Trubner,  Whyland  &  Co.,  New  York. 


TABLE  NO.  XIX. 
CHLORIDE    OF    LIME.       RECENT    CULTURES    IN    BOUILLON.3 


Organism. 


Bacillus  of  typhoid 
fever. 


Spirillum  of  Asiatic 
Cholera. 


Friedlander's  bacillus, 
so-called  pneumo- 
coccus. 


Bacillus  of  mouse  sep- 
ticaemia. 

Bacillus  of  foul  brood 
with  spores. 

Anthrax  bacillus,  with 
spores. 


Bacillus  butrycus,  with 
spores. 

Wurzel  bacillus,  with 
spores. 


Date. 


Nov.  11. 

Nov.  22. 

Nov.  23. 

Jan.  25. 

1887. 
Jan.  4. 

Jan.  18. 

Jan.  25. 

1886. 
Dec.  14. 


1887. 
Feb.  2. 


March  10. 


March  10. 

1886. 
Dec.  12. 

Dec.  14. 


March  10. 
March  II. 


Amount  of  Chloride  of  Lime. 


:  100,  1  :  200,  Cont.  |The  amount  of  avail- 

able chlorine  in   a 

5,000,  1:10,000,  Cont.!  solution  of  1  :  2000 
is  0.015  per  cent. 

2,000,  1  :  5,000,  Cont. 

500,   I  :  1 ,000,   I  :  2,000. 


50,   I  :  100,   1  :  200,   Cont. 

:  2,000,  1 :  5,000,  Cont 

500,  I  :  1,000,  I  :  2,000,  Cont. 


:  1,000,    1  :  2,000, 
1  :  5,000,   Cont. 


1 

1  :  50,    1  :  100,   Cont. 


:  1,000,  1  :  2,000, 
1  :  5,000,  Cont. 


1  :  50,      I  :  100,     Cont. 

1 :5o,  1 :  100. 

1  :  50,   1  :  100,  Cont. 

1 :  100,       1 :  200,      1  :  500, 
Cont. 

I  :  50,      I  :  100,     Cont. 
1  :  50,  1  :  100. 

1:50,   1 :  100,  Cont. 
1 :  50,  1 :  100. 


Colonies    in    control 
numberless. 


Available  chlorine  30 
per  cent. 

Available   chlorine 
23.75  per  cent. 

Available       chlorine 
23.7  5  per  cent. 

Available  chlorine  30" 

per  cent. 
Available  chlorine  3a 

per  cent. 

Available       chlorine 
23.75  per  cent 

Available       chlorine 
23.75  per  cent. 


1  The  bouillon  used  in  all  of  Dr.  Bolton's 
peptone-gelatine — without  the  gelatine. 


experiments  was  prepared  exactly  as  for  Koch's  flesh- 


156  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

TABLE  NO.  XX. 

CHLORIDE  OF  LIME  (AVAILABLE  CHLORINE  30  PER  CENT.).  RECENT 
CULTURES  IN  FLESH-PEPTONE-GELATINE,  CONTAINING  IO  PER 
CENT.    OF    GELATINE. 


Organism. 

Date. 

Amount  of  Chloride  of  Lime. 

Remarks. 

1886. 

Bacillus  of  typhoid 

Dec.  29. 

1.:  50,   1  :  100,   1  :  200. 

There    is   a   discrep- 

fever. 

1887. 

ancy  in  the  results 

Jan.  8. 

1  :  100,    1  :  200,    1  :  500,  Cont. 

obtained  in  experi- 
ments of  January 
13,  and  in  those  of 

Jan.  13. 

1:500,   1:1,000    Cont. 

January  8  and  Jan- 
uary 19. 

Jan.  19. 

1  :  200,   I  :  500,    1  :  1,000,  Cont. 

1886. 

Anthrax  bacillus. 

Dec.  15. 

1  :  50,     1  :  100,     1  :  200,     1  :  500, 

1 : 1,000,  Cont. 

Eriedlander's  bacillus. 

Dec.  15. 

1  :  50,  1  :  100,  1  :  200,  1  :  500, 
Cont. 

Staphylococcus   pyog. 

Dec.  30. 

1  :  50,  1  :  100,   1  :  200,  Cont. 

aureus. 

Staphylococcus   pyog. 

Dec.  30. 

1:50,      1:100,      1:200, 

citreus. 

Cont. 

Staphylococcus   pyog. 

Dec.  30. 

1  :  50,  1  :  loo,  1  :  200,  Cont. 

albus. 

TABLE   NO.  XXL 
CHLORIDE    OF    LIME    (AVAILABLE    CHLORINE    30  PER  CENT.).      CULTURES 

in  bouillon  with  10  per  cent,  of  egg  albumen  added. 


Organism. 


Bacillus  of  typhoid 
fever. 


Date. 


Dec.  29,  1886. 
Jan.  6,  1887. 
April  6. 


I  :  50,   I  :  100,   I  :  200,   I  :  500,  Cont. 

1  :  1,000,  1  :  2,000,  1  :  5,000,  Cont. 

i :  50,  1  :  50,  1  :  100,  1  :  100,  1  :  200,  1  :  200,  Cont. 


TABLE  NO.  XXII. 
CHLORIDE    OF    LIME   (AVAILABLE    CHLORINE    28.5  PER  CENT.). 


Material  Disinfected.         Date 


Typhoid  feces  (liquid) 
from  a  patient  in 
the  third  week  of 
the  disease. 


Amount  of  Chloride  of  Lime. 


1  :  100,  1  :  200,  Cont. 
1  :  100,1  1:200,  Cont. 
1 :  50,  1  :  100,2  ]  :  200. 
1:700,4  Cont. 


Remarks. 


1 20  colonies  in  Es- 
march  tube  con- 
taining 1  :  100,  none 
in  1  :  200. 

2  Five  colonies. 

3  Eight  colonies. 

4  Countless    colonies 

in  control. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  157 

In  the  above  experiments  on  typhoid  feces,  as  in  all  other  experiments 
reported,  the  amount  of  material  to  be  disinfected  has  been  made  equal 
to  the  amount  of  the  solution  of  the  disinfecting  agent  (5  cc.  of  each)T 
and  the  time  of  exposure  has  been  uniformly  two  hours.  The  small 
number  of  colonies  which  developed  after  the  use  of  a  solution  of  1  :  100 
and  1  :  200  was  probably  due  to  the  survival  of  the  spores  of  some  com- 
mon bacillus  present  in  the  feces. 

In  the  experiment  made  Nov.  nth,  it  was  noted  that  when  a  solution 
containing  2  per  cent,  of  chloride  of  lime  was  used,  the  presence  of  a 
surplus  of  available  chlorine  was  shown  at  the  end  of  two  hours  by  the 
usual  test ; 1  when  a  solution  of  1  per  cent,  was  used,  there  was  a  slight 
trace  of  chlorine  at  the  end  of  two  hours  ;  when  the  proportion  was 
reduced  to  0.5  per  cent.,  there  was  no  trace  of  chlorine  left.  The  writer 
made  the  following  experiment  on  Dec.  4,  1886,  by  the  method  used  in 
the  experiments  made  in  1885.  At  the  same  time,  Dr.  Bolton  made  a 
similar  experiment  with  Esmarch  tubes. 

TABLE  NO.  XXIII. 

BROKEN     DOWN     BEEF    INFUSION,  OLD    STOCK,  AND    CHLORIDE    OF    LIME 

(AVAILABLE    CHLORINE    30  PER    CENT.). 


Dr.  Sternberg's  culture  tubes. 
Esmarch  tubes 


Amount  of  Disinfectant. 


1 :  50,  1 :  100,  1 :  200,  1 :  50,  1  :  100,  1 :  200. 
1 :  50,  1 :  100,  1 :  200,  Cont. 


The  experimental  data  herein  recorded,  and  the  comparative  cheap- 
ness of  this  agent,  fully  justify  the  recommendations  made  by  the  com- 
mittee in  their  previous  report.  But  the  writer  would  suggest  that 
Standard  Solution  No.  1  be  made  by  adding  six  ounces  of  chloride  of 
lime  to  the  gallon  of  water  (about  4  per  cent.)  instead  of  four  ounces,  as 
heretofore  recommended.     This  would  be  40  grams  to  the  litre. 


SECTION  III.— MERCURIC  CHLORIDE. 

In  the  article  on  mercuric  chloride  in  the  report  of  the  Committee  on 
Disinfectants  for  1885,  the  writer  arrives  at  the  following  conclusion  : 

Mercuric  chloride,  in  aqueous  solution,  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  10,000,  is  a  reliable  agent 
for  the  destruction  of  micrococci  and  bacilli  in  active  growth,  not  containing  spores ;  and 
in  the  proportion  of  1 :  1,000  it  destroys  the  spores  of  bacilli,  provided  that  the  micro- 
organisms to  be  destroyed  are  fairly  exposed  to  its  action  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time. 

Evidently,  if  the  organisms  to  be  destroyed  are  enveloped  in  masses  of 

material  which  cannot  be  penetrated  by  the  disinfecting  agent,  or  if  the 

material  to  be  disinfected  contains  some  substance  which  neutralizes  the 

action  of  the  disinfectant,  the  object  in  view  will  not  be  attained.     With 

1  See  Report  of  Committee  on  Disinfectants  for  1885,   on  p.  15  of  this  vol. 


158  REPORT  OF   COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

a  view  to  determining  whether  such  practical  difficulties  were  to  be 
encountered  in  the  use  of  this  agent  for  disinfecting  excreta,  the  writer 
made  the  experiments  upon  the  sterilization  of  normal  feces  reported  on 
page  271  of  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants. 

Van  Ermengem  gives  evidence  as  to  the  potency  of  this  agent  in  the 
destruction  of  pathogenic  organisms  in  bouillon,  but  asserts  that  in  the 
presence  of  albumen  a  very  much  larger  proportion  of  the  mercurial  salt 
is  required  to  insure  destruction.  Thus,  when  cultures  of  the  cholera 
spirillum  in  chicken  bouillon  were  exposed  for  half  an  hour  to  the  action 
of  this  salt  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  60,000,  the  vitality  of  the  spirillum  was 
destroyed  ;  but  in  cultures  of  the  same  organism  in  blood-serum  from 
1  :  800  to  1  :  1000  was  required  to  destroy  all  the  bacilli  in  the  same  time 
(op.  cit.,p.  244). 

This  author  considers  carbolic  acid  preferable  to  mercuric  chloride  for 
the  disinfection  of  cholera  excreta,  and  in  this  opinion  he  is  sustained  by 
Koch,  upon  whose  recommendation  it  was  given  the  first  place  in  the 
directions  for  disinfection  adopted  by  the  International  Sanitary  Confer- 
ence of  Rome  (1885).  The  writer,  who  was  associated  with  Dr.  Koch 
on  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants  of  the  Conference,  urged  the  claims 
of  chloride  of  lime,  which  was  placed  beside  carbolic  acid  with  the  fol- 
lowing directions  : 

Carbolic  acid  and  chloride  of  lime  are  to  be  used  in  aqueous  solution  : 
Weak  solutions — Carbolic  acid,  2  per  cent.;  chloride  of  lime,  1  per  cent. 
Strong  solutions — Carbolic  acid,  5  per  cent. ;  chloride  of  lime,  4  per  cent. 

There  was  considerable  difference  of  opinion  among  the  members  of 
the  Committee  on  Disinfectants  of  the  International  Sanitary  Conference, 
with  reference  to  the  practical  value  of  mercuric  chloride  for  disinfecting 
excreta,  and  some  hesitation  in  recommending  it  for  general  use  on  account 
of  the  poisonous  nature  of  the  salt.  For  these  reasons,  and  because  the 
two  agents  named  seemed  sufficient,  no  mention  was  made  of  mer- 
curic chloride  in  the  recommendations  of  this  committee,  which  were 
adopted  unanimously  by  the  Conference.  Van  Ermengem,  in  discussing 
the  comparative  value  of  mercuric  chloride  and  carbolic  acid,  says, — 
"  For  sublimate  it  will  be  necessary  to  employ  a  solution  containing  at 
least  2  :  1000  " 

This  is  exactly  the  proportion  in  which  the  Committee  on  Disinfec- 
tants directed  its  use  for  the  disinfection  of  excreta  ;  and  in  both  of  the 
standard  solutions  recommended,  provision  is  made  against  accident  by 
adding  other  salts  which  give  a  distinct  color  to  the  solution  and  at  the 
same  time  add  to  its  efficiency.      (See  Report  for  1885.) 

The  author  quoted  says  further, — "  Practically,  sublimate  is  then  not 
the  powerful  antiseptic,  the  germicide  far  excellence,  that  it  is  generally 
believed  to  be.  We  should  remark,  also,  that  being  easily  decomposed, 
it  may  contract  other  chemical  combinations  which  enfeeble  its  action. 
In  dilute  solution,  for  example,  it  will  be  rapidly  decomposed  by  sul- 
phurets,  by  alkalies,  and  even  by  organic  material ;  the  ammoniacal 
salts  transform  it  into  an  inactive  body.     Now  these  conditions  are  found 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 59 

united  in  a  high  degree  in  fecal  matters.  Carbolic  acid,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  scarcely  modified  by  these  matters,  and  does  not  enter  into  any 
inert  combinations." 

Dr.  Bolton  has  made  the  following  experiments  with  this  agent : 

TABLE  NO.  XXIV. 

MERCURIC      CHLORIDE      IN      AQUEOUS      SOLUTION,      WITH      CULTURES      IN 

BOUILLON. 


Organism. 


Cholera  spirillum     .... 

Typhoid  bacillus      .... 
Bacillus  of  mouse  septicaemia 


Date. 


Jan.  25,  1887. 
Jan.  18,     " 

Nov.  26, 1886. 

Feb.  2,  1887. 


Amount  of  Disinfectant. 


1 : 5,000,  1 :  10,000,   1 :  20,000,  Cont. 

1 :  10,000,     1  :  20,000,     1  :  40,000, 
Cont. 

1 :  10,000,     1  ;  20,000,     1  :  40,000, 
Cont. 

1 :  5,000,  1 :  10,000,  1  :  20,000,  Cont. 


TABLE  NO.  XXV. 
MERCURIC  CHLORIDE  IN  AQUEOUS  SOLUTION,  WITH  AN  EQUAL  QUANTITY 

of  A  recent  culture   in  Jlesh-peptone-gelatine  containing  10 

PER    CENT.    OF    GELATINE. 


Organism. 

Date. 

Amount  of  Disinfectant. 

Bacillus  of  typhoid  fever, 

Jan.  8. 
Jan.  13. 
Jan.  19. 

1  :  2,000,   I  :  5,000,   1  :  10,000,  Cont. 

1  :  10,000,  1  :  20,000,  Cont. 

1 :  5,000,  1 :  10,000,  1  :  20,000,  Cont. 

TABLE  NO.  XXVI. 

MERCURIC  CHLORIDE  IN  AQUEOUS  SOLUTION,  WITH  AN  EQUAL  QUAN- 
TITY of  A  culture  in  bouillon,  to  which  io  per  cent,  of  egg 
albumen  had  been  added. 


Organism. 


Bacillus  of  typhoid  fever  .     . 


Date. 


April  6, 1887 


Experiments. 


I  :  50,     I  :  50,     1  :  TOO,      I  :  100,      1  :  200, 

1 :  200,1  Cont. 


The  results  of  this  experiment  are  in  accord  with  those  of  Van  Ermen- 
gem,  and  make  it  evident  that  for  the  disinfection  of  highly  albuminous 
material  the  amount  of  mercuric  chloride  required  will  exceed  that  pres- 
ent in  the   standard  solutions  (1:500)  heretofore  recommended  by  the 

1A  single  colony. 


l6o  RETORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

Committee  on  Disinfectants  for  sterilizing  excreta.  But  the  liquid  dis- 
charges of  typhoid  fever  and  cholera  patients  probably  do  not  contain 
anything  like  this  proportion  of  albuminous  material,  and  there  is  good 
reason  to  believe  that  they  would  be  effectually  disinfected  by  the  use  of 
standard  solution  No.  II,  or  of  standard  solution  No.  Ill  as  recommended 
in  the  report  for  1885. 

We  would,  however,  give  the  preference  to  the  chloride  of  lime  solu- 
tion for  the  disinfection  of  excreta  not  only  on  account  of  the  neutralizing 
action  of  albuminous  materials,  but  for  the  reasons  given  in  the  report 
referred  to,  viz.,  "  The  only  advantage  which  this  solution  has  over  the 
chloride  of  lime  solution  consists  in  the  fact  that  it  is  odorless,  while  the 
odor  of  chlorine  in  the  sick-room  is  considered  by  some  persons  objec- 
tionable. The  cost  is  a  little  more.  It  must  be  remembered  that  this 
solution  is  highly  poisonous.  It  is  proper,  also,  to  call  attention  to  the 
fact  that  it  will  injure  lead  pipes  if  passed  through  them  in  considerable 
quantities"  (op.  cit.,  p.  132). 

It  has  been  recently  shown  that  the  neutralizing  effect  of  albuminous 
material  is  considerably  diminished  by  the  addition  of  an  acid  to  the 
disinfecting  solution  of  mercuric  chloride.  Dr.  Ernest  Laplace,  of  New 
Orleans,  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  Robert  Koch,  has  made  an  inter- 
esting series  of  experiments  in  the  Hygienic  Institute  in  Berlin1,  as  a 
result  of  which  he  especially  recommends  tartaric  acid  for  this  purpose. 
We  quote  from  his  experiments  as  follows : 

"Six  test  tubes,  each  of  which  contained  5  ccm.  of  sublimate  solution 
received  the  addition  of  putrefying  human  blood  and  pus  bacteria  in  the 
proportion  of -J,  £,  -J,  1,  2,  and  3  ccm.  A  considerable  deposit  occurred 
in  all  of  the  tubes,  especially  in  that  containing  1  ccm.  To  six  other 
tubes,  in  which  each  5  ccm.  contained  1  :  1000  sublimate  solution,  and 
5  :  1000  tartaric  acid  solution  was  added  the  same  amounts  of  putrefy- 
ing blood  and  pus  organisms.  No  precipitate  formed  in  any  of  these 
tubes.  At  the  end  of  twenty  minutes  5  Platinosen  from  each  tube  in 
the  two  series  were  transferred  to  gelatine  in  test  tubes  which  were 
treated  by  Esmarch's  method.  At  the  end  of  five  days  numerous  colo- 
nies of  staphylococcus  pyogenus  aureus  and  of  the  bacillus  of  green  pus 
had  developed  in  all  of  the  tubes  which  contained  the  sublimate  alone. 
On  the  contrary  five  of  the  tubes  containing  tartaric  acid  also  remained 
sterile  ;  in  the  sixth  three  colonies  of  the  bacillus  pyocyanus  had  devel- 
oped. 

SECTION  IV.— CARBOLIC  ACID. 

Very  numerous  experiments  have  been  made  to  determine  the  exact 
germicide  value  of  carbolic  acid,  and  in  1885  this  seemed  to  the  Commit- 
tee on  Disinfectants  to  be  so  definitely  established  that  no  additional 
experimental  data  were  necessary  in  order  that  an  opinion  might  be 
formed  as  to  its  utility. 

1  Saure  Sublimat-Losung  als  desinficirendes  Mittel  und  ihre  Verwendung  in  Verband  stoffen. 
Deutsche  Medicinische  Wochenschrift  No.  40,  Oct.  6,  1887. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


i6r 


The  principal  object  in  view  in  making  the  experiments  recorded 
below  has  been  to  determine  whether  there  is  a  considerable  range  of 
resisting  power  to  the  same  agent  among  pathogenic  organisms,  or 
whether  the  resisting  power  of  all  organisms  of  this  class,  in  the  absence 
of  spores,  is  included  within  comparatively  narrow  limits.  The  latter 
supposition  seems  a  priori  to  be  the  most  probable,  and  it  will  be  seen 
that  it  is  sustained  by  the  experimental  evidence.  If  it  had  turned  out 
that  certain  organisms  have  a  special  resisting  power  for  certain  chemical 
agents,  and  that  they  have  an  exceptional  susceptibility  to  the  action  of 
others,  we  would  not  be  able  to  make  any  generalizations  from  the 
experimental  evidence  on  record,  but  would  have  to  test  each  disinfect- 
ing agent  with  reference  to  its  destructive  action  on  every  known  patho- 
genic organism  before  the  data  would  be  at  hand  to  guide  us  in  the  prac- 
tical use  of  disinfectants  under  all  circumstances. 

In  the  case  of  the  oxidizing  disinfectants,  such  as  chloride  of  lime  and 
permanganate  of  potash,  there  can  be  no  question  of  this  kind,  as  these 
agents  act  by  attacking  and  decomposing  organic  matter,  whether  living 
or  dead,  whether  in  the  form  of  organized  cells  or  devitalized  protoplas- 
mic material.  In  the  case  of  agents  which  have  atoxic  action  on  the 
living  cells,  but  which,  so  far  as  can  be  recognized,  do  not  destroy  their 
structure,  it  is  not  so  safe  to  infer  that  the  toxic  action  manifested  as 
regards  one  or  more  organisms  of  a  class  is  general  for  the  whole  class. 
Having  this  question  in  view,  I  selected  carbolic  acid  and  sulphate  of 
copper  as  two  agents,  of  very  different  chemical  composition,  which 
seemed  suitable  for  the  experimental  determination  of  the  point. 

Dr.  Bolton,  at  my  request,  has  made  the  following  experiments : 

TABLE  NO.  XXVII. 
CARBOLIC    ACID.       FRESH    CULTURES    IN    BOUILLON. 


Organism. 

Date. 

Amount  of  Disinfectant. 

Remarks. 

Cholera  spirillum 

1887. 
Jan.    4. 

1  :  50,  1  :  100,   1  :  200,  Cont. 

Jan.  18. 

1  :  200,  1  :  500,  1  :  1,000,  Cont. 

Jan.  25. 

1 :  100,  1  :  200.  1  :  500,  Cont. 

Bacillus     of     ty- 
phoid fever. 

Jan.  25. 

1 :  100,  1  :  200,  1  :  500,  Cont. 

Emmerich's  bacil- 
lus. 

Feb.  23. 

1 :  100,  1 :  200,  1 :  500,  Cont. 
1 :  100,  1  :  200,  1 :  500. 

Bacillus  of 
Schweine-rothlauf 

Brieger's  bacillus. 

Feb.  26. 
Feb.  25. 

1 :  100,    1 :  200,1    1 :  500,*    Cont.  , 
1:100,  1  :200,  1:  500. 

1 :  100,    1 :  200,    1 :  500,    Cont.    1 :  100, 
1 :  200,  1  :  500,  Cont. 

130  colo- 
nies. *  60 
colonies. 

Bacillus     pyocya- 
nus  (green  pus). 

Feb.  19. 

1 :  100,    1 :  200,3    1 :  500,    Cont.    1 :  100, 
1:200,4  1:500. 

»  720  colo- 
nies. *I25 
colonies. 

1 62  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

TABLE  NO.  XXVII—  continued. 


Organism. 


Bacillus  syncya- 
num. 

Friedlander's  ba- 
cillus. 

Bacillus  of  mouse 
septicaemia. 

Staphylococcus 
pyogenes  aureus. 

Staphylococcus 
pyogenes  albus. 

Staphylococcus 
pyogenes  citreus. 

Streptococcus 

erysipelatos. 


Date. 


March 
Feb.  ii. 
Feb.  2. 
Feb.  15. 
Feb.  8. 
Feb.  8. 
March  2. 


Amount  of  Disinfectant. 


I  :  50,  I  :  100,  I  :  200,  Cont. 
I  :  50,  I  :  100,  1  :  200. 

1  :  100,  i  :2oo,  1  :  500  Cont. 

1  :  100,  1  :  200,  1 :  500,  Cont. 


1 :  100,  1 :  200,  1 :  500,  Cont. 
1  :  100,  1 :  200,  1  :  500. 

1 :  100,  1  :  200,5  1 :  500,"  Cont. 
1 :  100,  1  :  200,  1  :  500. 

1  :  100,  1 :  200,7  1  :  500,8  Cont. 
1 :  100, 1  :  200,  1 :  500. 

1:100,   1:200,9    1:500,"    Cont. 
1 :  100,  1  :  200,  1  :  500. 


Remarks. 


5 1, 800  col- 
onies. 
"Countless. 

7300  colo- 
nies.   8  480 
colonies. 
9  Very  few. 


The  results  obtained  by  Dr.  Bolton  accord  with  those  reported  by  the 
writer  in  1S83.1  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  table,  taken  from  Table 
III  in  my  paper,  in  which  these  results  were  originally  published. 

CARBOLIC     ACID  ;     CULTURES     IN     BOUILLON  ;     TEST     IN     HERMETICALLY 

SEALED    FLASKS. 


Organism. 


Micrococci  from  pus  of  an  acute  abscess 
M.  Pasteuri 

Bacterium  termo,  without  spores    .     .     . 


Amount  of  Disinfectant. 


1 :  100,  1 :  125,  1  :  200,  1  :  200. 
1 :  200,  1 :  200,  1  :  400,  1  :  400. 

I  :  100,  1  :  200,  1  :  100,   1  :  200. 


The  following  experiment  was  made  to  determine  the  influence  of  10 
per  cent,  of  gelatine  in  the  culture-medium  containing  organisms  to  be 
destroyed. 

TABLE  NO.  XXVIII. 

CARBOLIC     ACID  |      RECENT     CULTURE     OF     typhoid    bacillus     IN     FLESH- 
PEPTONE-GELATINE. 


Date. 

Amount  of  Disinfectant. 

January  8,  1887      \ 

January  13,  1887,  ......... 

January  19,  1887 

1 :  100,  1  :  200,  1  :  500,  Cont. 

1  :  100,  1  :  200.  Cont. 

1  :  100,  1 :2oo,  1  :  500,  Cont. 

1See  paper  in  "American  Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences,"  April,  1S83. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  163 

TABLE    NO.  XXIX. 
in  the  following   experiment  ten  per  cent,  of  dried  egg  albumen 

WAS    ADDED    TO    THE    CULTURE    MEDIUM,  bouillon . 


Organism. 

Date. 

Experiments. 

Bacillus  of  typhoid  fever. 

April  6,  1S87. 

1:25,   1:25,  1  :  50,    1  :  50,    1  :  100,    1  :  100, 

Cont. 

We  have  here  no  evidence  that  the  disinfecting  action  of  carbolic  acid 
is  influenced  by  the  presence  of  a  large  amount  of  albumen. 

TABLE  NO.  XXX. 
CARBOLIC    ACID SPORES. 


Organism. 

Date. 

Experiments. 

Remarks. 

Bacillus  anthrasis. 

March  7, 1887. 

1  :5<V    1  :  100,'    1:200, 

1  :  50,   I  :  100,  1  :  200. 

1 1  colony 
only. 

Bacillus    alvei    (foul 
brood). 

March  11. 

1  :  50,     1  :  100,    Cont. 
1  :  50,  1  :  100. 

Wurtzel  bacillus. 

March  23. 

1  :  50,     1  :  100,    Cont. 
1  :  50,  1  :  100. 

It  will  be  seen  that  in  the  proportion  of  2  per  cent,  there  was  a  failure 
to  destroy  spores,  except  in  the  case  of  anthrax.  I  am  not,  however, 
disposed  to  attach  much  importance  to  this  single  experiment,  and  think 
it  probable  that  spores  were  not  present,  or  that  for  some  reason  their 
vital  resistance  was  very  much  diminished,  for  previous  experiments  are 
in  accord  as  to  the  considerable  resisting  power  of  spores  to  this  agent. 
Thus  Koch  found  (1SS1)  that  the  developing  power  of  anthrax  spores 
immersed  in  a  5  per  cent,  solution,  was  only  destroyed  at  the  end  of  two 
days,  while  a  1  per  cent,  solution  destroyed  the  bacilli,  in  the  absence  of 
spores,  in  two  minutes.  In  the  writer's  experiments  (1SS3)  a  4  per  cent, 
solution  failed  to  destroy  the  spores  of  bacilli  present  in  broken-down 
beef-tea  (old  stock). 

By  reference  to  Table  No.  XXVIII,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  germicide 
power  of  this  agent  is  identical  for  a  considerable  number  of  the  test- 
organisms,  and  that  as  a  rule  1  per  cent,  is  effective  and  0.5  per  cent, 
fails.  In  a  single  experiment  upon  the  bacillus  of  mouse  septicaemia 
1  per  cent,  failed,  and  in  the  case  of  Emmerich's  bacillus,  B.  syncyanum, 
and  Friedlander's  bacillus,  0.5  per  cent.  (1  :  200)  was  effective.  This 
would  indicate  a  certain  difference  in  the  resisting  power  of  various 
organisms,  but  in  a  more  extended  series  of  experiments  it  is  possible 
that  this  apparent  difference  would  be  eliminated,  for  1  :  200  is  near  the 
line  of  germicide  potency,  and  variations  are   likely  to   occur  on  both 


j 64  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

sides  of  this  line  from  various  causes,  e.  g.*  differences  in  age  of  cultures, 
slight  differences  in  mixing  the  culture  with  disinfecting  agent,  etc.  Thus 
we  have  in  the  three  experiments  upon  the  cholera  spirillum  in  the  pro- 
portion of  1  :  200  development  in  two,  and  no  development  in  one.  The 
presence  of  10  per  cent,  of  gelatine,  or  often  per  cent,  of  egg-albumen,  in 
the  material  to  be  disinfected,  has  no  marked  influence  upon  the  germi- 
cide power  of  this  agent,  and  gives  it  therefore  a  decided  advantage  over 
mercuric  chloride  or  sulphate. of  copper  for  the  disinfection  of  albuminous 
material. 

Recent  experiments  by  Laplace1  show  that  the  addition  of  hydrochloric 
acid  to  a  disinfecting  solution  containing  carbolic  acid  greatly  increases 
its  disinfecting  power  for  spores.  Thus,  it  is  stated  that  "  2  per  cent,  of 
crude  carbolic  acid  with  1  per  cent,  of  pure  hydrochloric  acid  destroyed 
anthrax  spores  in  seven  days,  while  2  per  cent,  of  carbolic  acid,  or  1  per 
cent,  of  hydrochloric  acid  alone,  did  not  destroy  these  spores  in  thirty 
days.  A  4  per  cent,  solution  of  crude  carbolic  acid,  with  2  per  cent,  of 
hydrochloric  acid,  destroyed  spores  in  less  than  one  hour ;  4  per  cent,  of 
carbolic  acid  solution  alone  did  not  destroy  them  in  twelve  days." 

Finally,  we  may  say  that  the  experiments  herein  recorded  justify  the 
recommendations  of  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants,  for  the  use  of  this 
agent,  in  their  report  of  1885,  viz.,  a  2  to  5  per  cent,  solution  "  for  the 
destruction  of  infectious  material  which  owes  its  infecting  power  to  the 
presence  of  micro-organisms  not  containing  spores ." 

Various  compounds  containing  carbolic  acid  have  from  time  to  time 
been  recommended  as  a  substitute  for  the  pure  phenol.  So  far  as  exper- 
iments have  been  made,  none  of  these  possess  any  special  advantage  as 
germicides,  and  as  a  rule  it  may  be  said  that  the  compounds  are  less 
potent  than  the  pure  acid.  Thus  Koch  found  that  a  5  per  cent,  solution 
of  zinc  sulpho-carbolate  required  five  days  to  destroy  the  developing 
power  of  anthrax  spores  ;  a  5  per  cent,  solution  of  sodium  phenate  failed 
to  entirely  destroy  the  growing  power  of  the  same  spores  in  ten  days, 
and  the  same  was  true  of  a  like  solution  of  sodium  sulpho-carbolate. 
Recently  it  has  been  proposed  by  a  Russian  physician  to  combine  chlo- 
ride of  lime  and  phenol  for  disinfecting  purposes.  The  statement  has 
been  made1  that  trichlorphenol  is  twenty-five  times  more  powerful  than 
carbolic  acid.*2  This  is  to  be  prepared  extemporaneously  by  mixing  on  2 
part  of  a  4  per  cent,  solution  of  carbolic  acid  with  five  parts  of  a  sat- 
urated solution  of  chlorinated  lime.  The  formula  for  trichlorphenol  is 
C6H2Cl3(OH).s 

At  my  request  Dr.  Bolton  has  made  some  experiments  with  this  agent, 
prepared  as  above  directed.  He  found  that  when  freshly  prepared  the 
solution  contained  a  considerable  quantity  of  chlorine,  either  free  in 
solution  or  as  hypochlorite  of  lime  (?).  This  was  shown  by  the  reaction 
with   starch  paper.     In   an  experiment  made  with    a   freshly  prepared 

1  Deutsche  Med.  Wochenschrift,  Oct.  6,  1887,  p.  867. 

2  The  "  Medical  Record,"  New  York,  Nov.  20,  1886,  p.  580. 

3  "  Neues  Handworterbuch  d.  Chemie,"  von  v.  Fehling. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 65 

solution  on  the  25th  of  November  the  available  chlorine  was  found  to  be 
7  per  cent.,  and  naturally  this  solution  showed  a  germicide  power  cor- 
responding with  this  amount  of  chlorine.  But  after  standing  until  the 
solution  showed  no  further  chlorine  reaction,  it  failed  to  destroy  the  bac- 
teria in  broken-down  beef  tea  in  the  proportion  of  50  per  cent.,  and 
anthrax  spores  grew  after  having  been  immersed  in  it,  at  full  strength, 
for  two  hours.    • 

A  second  solution,  made  according  to  the  same  formula,  destroyed 
anthrax  spores  in  the  proportion  of  6.25  per  cent,  when  first  made,  at 
which  time  it  had  a  strong  chlorine  reaction.  I  judge  from  these  experi- 
ments that  whatever  germicide  value  this  solution  has  depends  upon  the 
excess  of  chlorine  it  contains,  and  that  the  chlorine  and  phenol  in  com- 
bination as  trichlorphenol  are  practically  neutralized  so  far  as  their  ger- 
micide power  is  concerned. 

Dr.  E.  v.  Esmarch,  assistant  in  the  Hygienic  Institute  in  Berlin,  has 
made  an  extended  research  upon  a  product  of  coal  tar  distillation  called 
creolin.  This  is  described  as  a  syrupy  dark  brown  fluid,  which  smells 
like  tar,  and  forms  a  milky  emulsion  with  water.  This  is  perhaps  the 
same  material  which  was  introduced  in  this  country  some  years  since 
under  the  name  of"  Little's  Soluble  Phenyle,"  and  which  was  tested  by 
the  Committee  on  Disinfectants  with  favorable  results.1 

In  a  comparative  test  of  the  germicide  power  of  creoline  and  of  car- 
bolic acid2  the  former  agent  had  the  advantage  in  the  absence  of  spores. 
A  \  per  cent,  solution  was  fatal  to  the  spirillum  of  Asiatic  cholera  in  one 
minute,  and  a  1  :  1,000  solution  in  ten  minutes,  while  the  same  solutions 
of  carbolic  acid  failed.  The  typhoid  bacillus  was  somewhat  more  resist- 
ent.  A  \  per  cent,  solution  failed  after  ten  minutes'  exposure,  but  steril- 
ization was  effected  in  four  days.  With  the  staphylococcus  pyogenus 
aureus  as  a  test  organism,  1  per  cent,  failed  after  forty-eight  hours'  expos- 
ure, but  was  effective  in  four  days.  These  experiments  of  Esmarch 
show  a  decided  difference  in  the  resisting  power  of  the  test  organisms  to 
the  agents  named,  and  are  not  in  accord  with  those  of  Bolton  in  this 
respect. 

In  an  experiment  upon  anthrax  spores,  Esmarch  found  that  5  j:>er  cent, 
of  creolin  failed  at  the  end  of  twenty  days  to  destroy  vitality,  while  the 
same  proportion  of  carbolic  acid  was  effective  after  twenty  days'  exposure. 
These  agents  were  also  tested  by  Esmarch  upon  putrefying  meat  infu- 
sion, and  other  infusions  containing  decomposing  organic  material, 
excrement,  etc.  In  this  experiment  the  carbolic  acid  came  out  ahead. 
A  solution  of  h  per  cent,  was  effective  in  nine  to  thirteen  days,  while 
creolin  in  the  same  proportion  failed  to  sterilize  such  material  in  fifty- 
two  days.     The  general  result  of  these  experiments  is  stated  as  follows  : 

u  Creolin  is  decidedly  more  active  for  pure-cultures  of  micro-organ- 
isms in  the  absence  of  spores  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  carbol  is  more 
potent  for   masses   of  putrefying   material,"  and   retains  its  disinfecting 

1  See  report  on  "  Commercial  Disinfectants,"  Vol.  XI,  p.  194. 

2  Centralblatt  fiir  Bacteriologie,  Bd.  Ill,  Nos.  10  and  11  (1887). 


j  66  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

power  longer  ;  it  seems  as  if  creolin  in  contact  with  putrid  matter  after 
some  time  undergoes  changes  which  neutralize  its  disinfecting  power. 

The  deodorizing  power  of  creolin  was  found  by  Esmarch  to  be  very 
remarkable.  Putrid  material,  which  gave  oft' a  very  offensive  odor,  was 
deodorized  almost  instantly  when  shaken  up  with  creolin  in  the  propor- 
tion of  i  :  1,000.  The  addition  of  a  like  amount  of  carbol  had  no  effect, 
and  even  i  :  ioo  did  not  notably  diminish  the  offensive  odor.  But  when 
the  material  after  the  addition  of  these  agents  was  allowed  to  stand  for 
eight  to  ten  days,  a  change  occurred.  In  the  flasks  containing  carbol  in 
the  proportion  of  \  per  cent  ,  the  putrid  odor  gradually  disappeared  and  a 
faint  odor  of  carbol  was  detected,  while  in  the  flasks  containing  creolin 
an  odor  was  developed  resembling  that  given  off  from  an  old  cesspool. 
Two  samples  of  "  creolin  powder"  were  also  tested  by  Esmarch  with 
results  corresponding  with  those  above  given. 

A  consideration  of  the  experimental  data  above  given  leads  the  writer 
to  believe  that  carbolic  acid  possesses  a  decided  advantage  over  mercuric 
chloride  or  over  oxidizing  disinfectants,  for  the  disinfection  of  masses  of 
material  to  be  left  in  situ,  e.  g.,  for  human  excreta  in  privy  vaults.  The 
fact  that  it  is  not  decomposed  or  neutralized  by  putrefying  material,  and 
that  it  will  exercise  its  antiseptic  action  throughout  the  mass,  even  if  it 
does  not  destroy  spores  of  pathogenic  organisms  present,  gives  it  a  decid- 
ed advantage.  The  complete  destruction  of  such  masses  of  material  by 
the  use  of  oxidizing  disinfectants,  e.  g.,  chloride  of  lime,  or  complete 
sterilization  by  means  of  mercuric  chloride,  appears  to  be  impracticable 
when  we  have  large  masses  of  material  to  deal  with  ;  and  in  this  case 
treatment  with  a  5  per  cent,  solution  of  carbolic  acid  in  such  quantity  as 
will  ensure  permeation  of  the  entire  mass  would  seem  to  be  the  safest 
practice. 

The  prompt  deodorizing  action  of  creolin  and  its  decided  germicide 
power  make  it  a  suitable  agent  for  the  disinfection  of  excreta  in  the  sick- 
room, but  we  would  still  give  the  preference  to  our  standard  solution  of 
chloride  of  lime  (containing  six  ounces  to  the  gallon),  as  this  quickly 
destroys  all  pathogenic  organisms,  including  the  most  resistent  spores. 

SECTION  V.— SULPHATE  OF  COPPER. 

Dr.  Bolton  has  made  the  following  experiments  with  sulphate  of  cop- 
per, by  the  method  heretofore  described — equal  parts  of  disinfecting 
solution  and  culture  of  test  organism  ;  two  hours'  exposure ;  test  in 
Esmarch's  tubes. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

TABLE  NO.  XXXI. 

RECENT    CULTURES    IN    BOUILLON. 


167 


Organism. 

Date. 

Experiments. 

Bacillus  of  typhoid  fever  .     . 

Jan.  25,  1887. 

1 

200,  1  :  500,  1  :  1,000,  Cont. 

Spirillum  of  Asiatic  cholera 

Jan.  18. 

1 

200,  1 :  500,  1 :  1,000,  Cont. 

Jan.  25. 

1 

200,   1  :  500,  1  :  1,000,  Cont. 

Bacillus  of  mouse  septicaemia. 

Feb.    2. 

1 

100,  1  :  200,  Cont. 

Bacillus  of  Schweine-rothlauf 

Feb.  26. 

1 

IOO,  I  :  200,   I  :  500,  Cont. 

Brieger's  bacillus     .... 

Feb.  25. 

1 

100,    1 :  200,   1  :  500     Cont.    1 
1 :  200,  1  :  500. 

IOO, 

Bacillus  pyocyanus  .... 

Feb.  19. 

1 

100,    1 :  200,    1  :  500,   Cont.   1 : 
1 :  200,  1  :  500,  Cont. 

IOO, 

Friedlander's  bacillus  ... 

Feb.  n. 

1 

:  IOO,  1  :  200,  1  :  500,  Cont. 

Emmerich's  bacillus    .     .     . 

Feb.  23. 

1 

:  100,    1 :  200,    1  :  500,  Cont.    1 
1 :  200,  1 :  500,  Cont. 

IOO, 

Bacillus  syscyanum .... 

March  23. 

1 

:  IOO,  I  :  200,  Cont.   1  :  IOO,   1  :  200. 

Bacillus  alvei 

Feb.  19. 

1 

:  100,     1  :  200,      1  :  500,     Cont.      1 
1  :  200,  1  :  500. 

100, 

Wurtzel  bacillus 

Feb.  12. 

1 

:  100,      1  :  200,       I  :  500,     Cont.     1 
1  :  200,   1  :  500. 

:  100, 

Staphylococcus  pyog.  aureus 

Feb.    8. 

1 

:  100,     1  :  200,1      1  :  500,2      Cont. 
1 :  100,  1  :  200/  1  :  500.2 

Staphylococcus  pyog.  citreus 

Feb.    8. 

1 

:  100,  1  :  200,2  1  :  500,  Cont.  1 
1  :  200,==  1  :  500. 

:  100, 

Staphylococcus  pyog.  albus  . 

Feb.  15. 

1 

:  100,    1 :  200,    1  :  500,2  Cont.   1 
1 :  200,  1  :  500. 

:  IOO, 

Streptococcus  erysipelatosus 

Feb.  15. 

1 

:  100,     1  :  200,       1  :  500,     Cont.     1 
1  :  200,  1 :  500. 

:  100, 

TABLE  NO.  XXXII. 

RECENT    CULTURES    IN    FLESH-PEPTONE-GELATINE,  CONTAINING    IO    PER 

CENT.     GELATINE. 


Organism. 


Bacillus  of  typhoid  fever 


Date. 


January  8,  1887. 
January  13. 
January  19. 


Experiments. 


1 :  100,   1  :  200,    1  :  500,  Cont. 

1  :  100,  1 :  200,  Cont. 

1 :  100,  1 :  200,  1  :  500,  Cont. 


>One  colony  in  each  tube.     2A  few  colonies. 


1 68 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 
TABLE  NO.  XXXIII. 


HECENT    CULTURES     IN     BOUILLON,    WITH    IO     PER    CENT.    OF    EGG-ALBU- 
MEN. 


Organism. 

Date. 

Experiments. 

Bacillus  of  typhoid  fever      .     . 

April  6,  1887. 

1 :  10,  1 :  10,  1  :  20,  Cont. 

These  results  correspond  with  those  previously  reported  by  the  writer. 
Thus  in  18S1  I  found  that  the  virulence  of  septicemic  blood  containing 
M.  Pasteur  I  is  destroyed  by  1  :  400  ;  and  in  the  report  of  the  Committee 
on  Disinfectants  for  1885  I  say, — "  I  have  demonstrated  by  recent  ex- 
periments that  it  destroys  micrococci  in  the  proportion  of  .5  per  cent. 
(=  1  :  200)."  By  reference  to  table  No.  XXXI  it  will  be  seen  that  there 
is  some  evidence  of  a  difference  in  resisting  power  in  different  organisms, 
but,  as  remarked  in  the  case  of  carbolic  acid,  it  is  probable  that  in  a 
more  extended  series  of  experiments  these  differences  would  be  to  a  great 
extent  neutralized.  Thus  we  find  that  in  the  single  experiment  upon  the 
bacillus  of  mouse  septicaemia  1  :  200  failed,  while  in  that  upon  the  bacil- 
lus of  schweine-rothlauf  1  :  500  was  successful.  Yet  these  bacilli  are 
thought  by  many  bacteriologists  to  be  identical.  It  may  be  that  growth 
in  the  one  case  was  due  to  the  presence  of  spores,  and  failure  in  the 
other  to  their  absence. 

In  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants  for  1885  this  agent  is 
recommended  in  a  solution  of  2  to  5  per  cent,  for  the  destruction  of 
infectious  material  "  not  containing  spores."  The  experimental  data 
above  given  show  that  this  is  a  very  liberal  allowance,  and  that  the  pro- 
portion might  be  reduced  to  1  per  cent,  and  still  be  within  the  limits  of 
safety,  where  the  conditions  resemble  those  of  our  experiments.  But  in 
the  presence  of  a  considerable  amount  of  albumen,  this  agent,  like  mer- 
curic chloride,  must  be  used  in  a  much  larger  proportion  to  insure  disin- 
fection. 

Dr.  Bolton  has  made  the  following  experiments  upon  spores : 

TABLE  NO.  XXXIV. 
SULPHATE    OF    COPPER SPORES. 


Organism. 

Date. 

Experiments. 

Anthrax  spores 

March    7. 

1  :  50,  1  :  100,  1  :  200,  Cont.  1  :  50, 
1  :  100,   I  :  200,  Cont. 

Bacillus  alvei  spores   .... 

March    3. 

1  :  50,  1  :  100,  1  :  200,  Cont. 
1  :  50,  1  :  100,  1  :  200. 

Wurtzel  bacillus  spores  .     .     . 

March  23. 

1  :  50,  1  :  100,  1  :  200  Cont. 
1  :  50,  1  :  100,  1  :  200. 

REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  169 

I  judge  that  there  is  some  mistake  about  the  experiment  of  March  7 
with  anthrax.  Probably  no  spores  were  present  in  the  culture.  In  my 
own  experiments  with  this  agent  I  found  that  even  in  the  proportion  of 
20  per  cent,  it  failed  to  kill  the  spores  of  anthrax  ;  and  as  Dr.  Bolton's 
experiment  shows  that  2  per  cent,  did  not  kill  the  spores  of  the  Wurtzel 
bacillus  or  of  bacillus  alvei,  I  cannot  believe  that  anthrax  spores  were 
killed  by  1  :  200 

SECTION  VI.— CALCIUM   OXIDE. 

Recently  slacked  lime  and  lime-wash  have  long  enjoyed  a  reputation 
as  disinfectants,  and  have  been  extensively  used  by  sanitarians  in  their 
efforts  to  restrict  the  extension  of  infectious  diseases.  But  until  recently 
110  exact  experiments  have  been  made  to  determine  the  precise  germicide 
value  of  caustic  lime.  Koch,  in  1S81,  found  that  lime-water  only  had  a 
slight  restraining  influence  upon  the  development  of  anthrax  spores 
which  had  been  immersed  in  it  for  15  to  20  days.  My  own  experiments 
upon  spores  have  given  results  in  accord  with  this.  But,  inasmuch  as 
we  have  only  in  exceptional  cases  to  deal  with  spores,  in  our  practical 
measures  of  disinfection  it  is  well  worth  while  to  carry  the  investigation 
further,  and  inquire  what  value  this  agent  may  have  for  the  destruction 
of  pathogenic  organisms  which  do  not  produce  spores.  This  has  recent- 
ly been  done  by  Dr.  Paul  Liborius,  a  medical  officer  of  the  Russian 
navy,  whose  researches  have  been  made  in  the  Hygieniscken  Institut 
of  Berlin.1 

In  a  first  series  of  experiments  putrid  bouillon  was  mixed  with  lime 
water  in  the  proportion  of  2  : 1,  1:1,3:5,  and  1  :  5.  These  mixtures  were 
allowed  to  stand  for  three  weeks,  and  tests  were  made  at  intervals  to 
ascertain  whether  the  micro-organisms  present  were  still  capable  of 
development.     The  result  is  stated  by  Liborius  as  follows : 

"Of  the  various  micro-organisms  in  the  putrid  bouillon,  by  far  the 
greater  part  were  destroyed  within  twenty-four  hours,  when  the  propor- 
tion of  lime  at  the  commencement  of  the  experiment  was  about  0.09  per 
cent.  The  few  germs  which  resisted  were  restricted  in  their  develop- 
ment, and  only  multiplied  again  after  a  considerable  time,  when  proba- 
bly the  amount  of  lime  in  solution  was  to  a  considerable  extent  dimin- 
ished." 

As  the  result  of  extended  experiments  upon  the  bacillus  of  typhoid 
fever  and  the  spirillum  of  Asiatic  cholera,  Liborius  arrives  at  the  follow- 
ing conclusions  : 

1.  An  aqueous  solution  of  calcium  oxide  of  the  strength  of  0.0074  per 
cent,  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours  destroys  the  typhoid  bacillus,  and  a 
solution  of  0.0246  per  cent!  destroys  cholera  bacilli. 

2.  Bouillon  cultures  of  the  cholera  bacillus,  containing  albuminous 
precipitate  (unfiltered  bouillon),  which  offer  at  least  as  unfavorable  con- 

1  Einige  Untersuchungen  Uher  die  desinficirende  Wirkung  des  Kalkes,  Zeitschrift  fur  Hygiene, 
131  II.  18S7. 


170 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


ditions,  on  account  of  their  physical  characters,  as  natural  cholera  dejec- 
tions, are  perfectly  disinfected  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours  by  a  0.4  per 
cent.  solution  of  pure  caustic  lime,  =  to  2  per  cent,  of  crude  burnt  lime 
in  fragments. 

3.  The  most  energetic  action  of  lime  was  obtained,  under  more  diffi- 
cult circumstances,  when  it  was  used  in  the  form  of  pure  pulverized 
caustic  lime,  or  as  a  milk  of  lime  containing  20  per  cent,  of  the  same. 

Liborius  calculates  that  12  grammes  of  pure  caustic  lime  would  suffice 
to  disinfect  the  alvine  discharges  during  24  hours  in  a  case  of  cholera. 
He  says  that  pure  calcium  oxide  costs  from  50  to  70  pfennings  per  kilo- 
gram, or  by  the  quantity  from  40  to  50  marks  per  100  kilograms  (about 
$5  to  $6  per  100  pounds). 

"  If,  upon  further  researches,  it  is  found  necessary  to  add  a  certain 
proportion  of  magnesium  chloride  to  prevent  the  development  of  ammo- 
nia, one  tenth  of  the  amount  of  lime  will  suffice.  As  the  purest  magne- 
sium chloride  is  no  dearer  than  caustic  lime,  and  as  the  price  of  crude 
burnt  lime,  at  the  factory,  is  only  1^  marks  per  hektolitre,  the  disinfec- 
tion of  the  daily  dejections  of  a  cholera  patient  would  cost  something  less 
than  one  pfenning"  (=about  \  cent). 

In  order  to  test  the  conclusions  reached  by  Liborius,  I  have  made  the 
following  experiments  with  calcium  oxide  obtained  from  the  chemical 
laboratory  of  the  Johns  Hopkins  University,  which  is  quite  free  from 
chlorine  (manufactured  by  Dr.  Theo.  Schuchardt,  ofGorlitz,  Germany), 
I  have  not  attempted  to  determine  by  chemical  tests  the  exact  amount  ot 
calcium  oxide  present  in  my  standard  solution  of  lime  water,  but  have 
prepared  a  saturated  solution  by  adding  the  caustic  lime  in  large  excess 
to  distilled  water.  According  to  the  National  Dispensatory,  liquor  calcis 
contains  0.15  per  cent,  of  hydrate  of  calcium.  The  same  authority  states 
that  calcium  oxide  is  soluble  in  750  parts  of  water  at  15°  C. 

TABLE  NO.  XXXV. 

CULTURES      IN      FLESH-PEPTONE     GELATINE,      MIXED    WITH      AN      EQUAL 
QUANTITY    OF    LIME  WATER.       TEST    IN    ESMARCH's    TUBES. 


Organism. 

Time  of 
exposure. 

Proportion  of  lime  water. 

Typhoid  bacillus 

50  per  cent.,  50  per  cent.,  Cont. 

Bacillus  of  Schweine-rothlauf    . 

50,                 50,                 Cont. 

Bacillus  pyocyanus    . 

3 

50,                 50,                 Cont. 

Bacillus  acidi  lactici 

0 
•a 

50,                 50,                 Cont. 

Finkler-Prior  spirillum 

i 

50,                 50,                 Cont. 

Cheese  spirillum 

50,                 50,                 Cont. 

Staphylococcus  pyog.  aureus     . 

50,                50,                 Cont. 

Staphylococcus  pyog.  citreus     . 

50,                 50,                 Cont. 

REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 
TABLE  NO.  XXXV— continued. 


171 


Organism. 

Time  of 
exposure. 

Proportion  of  lime  water. 

Staphylococcus  pyog.  albus 

«3 

50, 

50,                 Cont. 

Typhoid  bacillus 

0 

50, 

50. 

Bacillus  pyocyanus    . 

X 
V 

50, 

50. 

Bacillus  acidi  lactici  . 

a 
0 

J3 

50, 

50. 

Finkler- Prior  spirillum 

50, 

50. 

Staphylococcus  pyog.  albus 

| 

50, 

50. 

Staphylococcus  pyog.  aureus     . 

O 

50, 

50. 

TABLE  NO.  XXXVI. 

CULTURES     IN     BOUILLON,     MIXED     WITH      A     SATURATED     SOLUTION     OP 

CALCIUM    OXIDE. 


Organism. 

Time  of 
exposure. 

Proportion  of  lime  water. 

Typhoid  bacillus 

it 

1:1,  1  :  1,  5:  1.  5  :  l.1 

Staphylococcus  pyog.  albus 

1:1,  1:1,  521,  5:1. 

Typhoid  bacillus 

gS 

1  :  1,  1  :  1. 

Staphylococcus  pyog.  albus 

1  :  1,  1  :  1. 

TABLE   NO.  XXXVII. 
EXPERIMENTS    WITH    SPORES. 


Spores  of 

Date. 

Time  of 
exposure. 

Proportion 

of 

calcium  oxide. 

Result. 

Anthrax  bacillus. 

April  19. 

2  hours. 

Saturated  solution. 

Not  killed. 

Wurtzel  bacillus. 

u 

<( 

H 

- 

Bacillus  subtilis. 

«i 

M 

" 

<< 

Bacillus  alvei. 

«< 

<« 

It 

» 

Anthrax  bacillus. 

April  20. 

24  hours. 

<« 

M 

Wurtzel  bacillus. 

M 

« 

<« 

M 

Bacillus  subtilis. 

N 

(< 

<« 

M 

Bacillus  alvei. 

<« 

« 

<« 

M 

1  Development  retarded  to  fourth  day. 


172  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

TABLE  NO.  XXXVII—  continued. 


Spores  of 

Date. 

Time  of 
exposure. 

Proportion 

of 

calcium  oxide. 

Result. 

Anthrax  bacillus. 

April  21. 

48  hours. 

(« 

Wurtzel  bacillus. 

" 

u 

" 

Bacillus  subtilis. 

" 

- 

«< 

Bacillus  alvei. 

M 

<( 

M 

Anthrax  bacillus. 
Wurtzel  bacillus. 
Bacillus  subtilis. 

April  23. 
« 

2  hours. 

20   per   cent,  of 
pure  calcium  oxide 
suspended  in  a  sat- 
urated solution  of 
the  same. 

Bacillus  alvei. 

"■ 

" 

TABLE  NO.  XXXVIII. 

calcium  oxide  suspended  in  a  saturated  solution  of  the  same 

(lime-wash)  . 


Organism. 

Date. 

Proportion  of  calcium  oxide  by  weight. 

Typhoid  bacillus 

April  26,  1887. 

1  :  40,   1  :  40. 

April  27. 

1  :  80,  1  :  80,  1  :  160,  1  :  160. 

Staphylococcus  pyog. 

albus. 

April  20. 

1  :  40,  1 :  40,  1  :  80,  1  :  80, 

1  :  160,  1  :  160. 

The  above  experiments  suffice  to  demonstrate  the  fact  that  pure  cal- 
cium oxide  has  no  great  value  for  disinfecting  purposes,  and  show  that 
the  proposition  of  Liborius  to  give  it  the  preference  over  chloride  of  lime 
on  account  of  its  comparative  cheapness  is  based  upon  a  misconception 
of  the  practical  value  of  the  two  agents  for  disinfecting  purposes.  Inas- 
much, however,  as  calcium  oxide  has  considerable  germicide  power 
when  used  in  the  form  of  lime-wash,  especially  after  prolonged  contact, 
the  general  use  of  lime-wash  for  sanitary  purposes  is  to  be  recommended 
wherever  it  can  be  applied  to  surfaces  which  are  supposed  to  be  infected 
by  disease  germs. 

The  following  experiments  have  been  made  to  determine  the  antisep- 
tic value  of  pure  calcium  oxide  in  a  saturated  aqueous  solution  : 

In  these  experiments  bouillon  in  the  proportion  indicated  was  added  to 
lime  water,  in  test  tubes,  and  a  drop  of  a  culture  containing  the  test 
organism  was  added  to  this  mixture.  The  test  tubes  were  then  set  aside, 
and  the  time  noted  when  the  bouillon  became  clouded  by  the  multiplica- 
tion of  the  organisms  with  which  it  had  been  inoculated. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 73 

Mixtures  were  made  in  the  proportion  of  12  of  bouillon  to  1  of  lime 
water  58:1,4:1, 2:1,  and  1:1.  Such  mixtures  inoculated  with  the  cheese 
spirillum  had  all  broken  down  in  24  hours.  Inoculated  with  the  typhoid 
bacillus,  12:1  became  clouded  in  24  hours,  8:1  in  48  hours,  4 :  1  in  72 
hours,  2  :  1  in  5  days,  1:1  in  6  days.  With  staphylococcus  pyogenes 
albus  the  result  was  the  same.  These  experiments  show  that  lime  water 
mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  a  culture  solution  exercises  a  consider- 
able restraining  influence  upon  the  development  of  the  typhoid  bacillus 
and  upon  the  micrococcus  tested,  but  that  in  the  end  these  organisms  are 
able  to  multiply  in  a  culture  solution  to  which  it  has  been  added  in  this 
proportion.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  the  cheese  spirillum  was 
not,  apparently,  restrained  in  its  development  by  the  same  proportion  of 
lime  water.  The  writer's  sudden  departure  for  Brazil,  to  investigate  the 
methods  of  inoculation  against  yellow  fever  practised  in  that  country  by 
Dr.  Domingos  Freire,  has  brought  these  experiments  to  a  more  speedy 
termination  than  he  had  intended. 

SECTION  VII.— VARIOUS  DISINFECTING  AGENTS. 

In  the  present  section  we  give,  for  convenience  of  reference,  an  abstract 
of  some  of  the  more  important  recent  researches  made  in  the  laboratories 
of  Europe. 

It  must  be  remembered,  in  comparing  the  results  reported  by  different 
experimenters,  that  they  cannot  be  expected  to  correspond  unless  the  con- 
ditions under  which  their  experiments  have  been  made  were  identical. 
A  small  amount  of  material  may  be  sterilized  by  a  given  percentage  of 
a  certain  chemical  agent,  when  the  same  proportion  would  fail  to  steril- 
ize a  larger  amount.  Thus,  if  we  add  a  drop  of  material  containing  any 
test-organism  to  a  considerable  quantity  of  a  disinfecting  solution  of  a 
given  strength,  it  will  be  a  very  different  matter  from  adding  the  same 
proportion  of  the  disinfecting  agent  to  a  considerable  quantity  of  material 
containing  the  same  test-organism.  A  gramme  of  chloride  of  lime,  or 
of  carbolic  acid,  is  efficient  for  the  sterilization  of  a  certain  amount  of 
material  containing  the  typhoid  bacillus  or  the  cholera  spirillum  ;  and 
the  exact  amount  will  depend  both  upon  the  number  of  germs  to  be 
destroyed  and  upon  the  character  of  the  material  with  which  they  are 
associated.  The  quantity  of  water  used  in  making  a  solution  of  the  dis- 
infecting agent  will,  within  certain  limits,  be  a  matter  of  no  consequence. 
Thus,  one  hundred  parts  of  a  one  per  cent,  solution  of  a  disinfectant  is 
equal  to  ten  parts  of  a  ten  percent,  solution  of  the  same  agent.  If,  there- 
fore, the  statement  is  made  that  this  agent  is  effective  in  the  proportion  of 
1  :  100,  it  is  evident  that  we  must  know  the  conditions  under  which  it  is 
effective  in  order  to  guide  us  in  our  practical  measures  of  disinfection, 
or  to  enable  us  to  compare  the  results  of  different  experimenters.  The 
apparent  discrepancies  in  the  results  reported  below  are  for  the  most  part 
due  to  the  different  conditions  under  which  the  experiments  were  made. 

In  the  Revue  Scientljique  of  Nov.  22,  1884,  is  a  report  by  Nicati  and 
Rietsch  upon  the  vitality  of  the  spirillum  of  Asiatic  cholera. 


174  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

In  these  experiments  a  small  quantity  of  a  culture  of  the  spirillum  was 
added  to  a  considerable  quantity  of  the  disinfecting  solution  : 

Sulphurous  acid.  A  saturated  aqueous  solution,  diluted  with  nine 
parts  of  water,  destroyed  the  cholera  spirillum  in  fifteen  minutes. 

Sulphuric  acid  (of  66  degrees  Baume),  i  :  400  was  effective  in  forty 
minutes. 

Hydrochloric  acid  (1  gr.=o,^6^  Hcl.),  1  :  2,000  in  five  minutes. 

Acetic  acid,  1  :  500  in  ten  minutes. 

Tartaric  acid,  1  :  1,000  in  one  hour. 

Carbolic  acid,  1  :  200  in  ten  minutes. 

Salicylic  acid  (saturated  solution  at  170  C),  1  :  1,000  in  ten  minutes. 

Sulphate  of  zinc,  1  :  333  in  ten  minutes. 

Chloride  of  zinc,  1  :  1,000  in  ten  minutes. 

Sulphate  of  copper,  1  :  3,000  in  ten  minutes. 

Mercuric  chloride,  1  :  300,000  in  ten  minutes. 

Desiccation.  Nicati  and  Rietsch  say, — "  Our  experiments  verify  one 
of  the  assertions  of  M.  Koch,  which  has  perhaps  met  with  the  greatest 
incredulity,  that  is,  that  the  cholera  infection  is  surely  killed  by  desicca- 
tion." Exposure  for  an  hour  and  a  quarter,  upon  the  surface  of  a  glass 
plate,  was  found  to  kill  the  spirillum.  Van  Ermengem  1  has  also  verified 
this  fact,  but  has  found  that  the  time  required  to  effect  desiccation  and 
the  death  of  the  spirillum  depends  largely  upon  the  nature  of  the  material 
containing  it,  and  the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere. 

When  a  layer  of  nutritive  gelatine  or  of  agar-agar,  having  a  thickness 
of  to  3  m  m.  was  exposed  upon  glass  plates,  in  an  occupied  apartment 
in  which  the  temperature  was  about  130  C,  and  the  air  tolerably  dry, 
sterilization  was  not  effected  in  less  than  two  or  three  days.  In  a  cham- 
ber in  which  the  temperature  ranged  from  5  to  120  C,  and  which  was 
quite  humid,  desiccation  required  a  longer  time  ;  but  after  exposure  in 
this  chamber  for  six  days,  the  vitality  of  the  spirilla  was  destroyed. 

Van  Ermengem  has  also  made  extended  experiments  upon  the  disin- 
fecting power  of  various  chemical  agents,  as  tested  by  the  cholera 
microbe  (op.  cit.).     We  give  a  summary  of  his  results: 

Sulphur  dioxide.  The  atmosphere  of  a  chamber  was  almost  saturated  with  sulphurous 
vapors.  In  the  corners  and  under  the  furniture  I  placed  morsels  of  a  woollen  carpet,  of 
fragments  of  a  folded  blanket,  and  of  various  stuffs  rolled  in  bundles.  In  the  interior  of 
each  of  these  packets  was  a  morsel  of  blotting  paper  folded  four  times,  and  surrounded 
by  a  fragment  of  sterilized  woollen  cloth  so  as  to  protect  the  blotting  paper,  which  had 
been  soaked  with  a  liquid  culture  of  the  cholera  microbe,  against  all  contamination. 
Even  after  rumaining  for  twenty-four  hours  in  the  chamber,  the  paper  was  never  com- 
pletely sterilized. 

Mercuric  chloride.  In  Van  Ermengem's  experiments  the  mercuric 
chloride  was  mixed  with  bouillon  and  added  to  cultures  of  the  cholera 
spirillum  in  the  proportion  of  one  vokime  to  five.  It  was  found  to  be 
effective  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  60,000,  the  time  of  exposure  being  half 
an  hour.     When  one  volume  of  the  culture-liquid  was  added  to  one  hun- 

*Le  Microbe  du  Cholera  Asiaiiozte,  Paris  and  Brussels,  1885,  p.  219. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 75 

dred  volumes  of  the  disinfecting  solution,  sterilization  was  effected  by 
i  :  100,000. 

Carbolic  acid.  Solutions  containing  1  :  600  to  1  :  700  were  found  to 
destroy  the  spirilla  in  concentrated  chicken  bouillon  in  less  than  half  an 
hour ;  in  blood  serum,  1  :  400  was  effective  in  the  same  time. 

Copper  Sulphate.  Solutions  of  1  :  600  were  found  to  kill  all  of  the 
spirilla  in  a  culture  in  bouillon  in  less  than  half  an  hour.  In  the  propor- 
tion of  1  :  1,000  the  same  culture-liquid  was  sterilized  in  from  three  to 
four  hours  ;  cultures  in  blood  serum  required  1  :  200. 

Chloride  of  zinc  (chemically  pure)  produced  a  complete  sterilization 
in  half  an  hour,  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  500. 

Zitic  sulphate.      1  :  300  failed  to  sterilize  (a  single  experiment). 

Sulphuric  acid,  1  :  1 ,000  effective  in  half  an  hour. 

Hydrochloric  acid,  1  :  2,000  effective  in  half  an  hour. 

Acetic  acid  (glacial) ,  1  :  300  in  half  an  hour. 

Citric  acid,  1  :  200. 

Tartaric  acid,  1  :  200. 

Sulphate  of  iron,  1  :  20  in  half  an  hour,  probably  due  to  presence  of 
free  sulphuric  acid  in  the  commercial  sulphate  of  iron.  "  In  several  ex- 
periments made  with  a  saturated  solution  of  sulphate  of  iron  added  to  an 
equal  quantity  of  a  culture  in  fluid  blood  serum,  sterilization  was  not 
effected." 

Salicylic  acid,  1  :  300. 

Boric  acid,  1  :  300. 

Thymol,  1  :  400. 

Ramon  and  Cajal *  report  that  the  cholera  spirillum  is  destroyed  by 
hydrochloric  acid  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  500,  by  sulphuric  acid  in 
1  :  200,  by  carbolic  acid  in  1  :  50,  by  sulphate  of  copper  in  1  :  100. 

Leitz,2  in  his  studies  relating  to  the  bacillus  of  typhoid  fever,  reports 
the  following  results  : 

The  dejections  of  the  typhoid  patients,  mixed  in  equal  quantity  with 
the  disinfecting  solution,  were  sterilized  by  carbolic  acid  in  five  per 
cent,  solution  in  three  days  ;  by  sulphuric  acid,  in  five  per  cent,  solu- 
tion, in  three  days. 

Pure  cultures  of  the  typhoid  bacillus,  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of 
the  disinfecting  solution,  were  sterilized  by  sulphate  of  iron,  1  :  20,  in 
three  days  ;  sulphate  of  zinc,  1  :  20,  in  three  days  ;  sulphuric  acid 
1  150,  in  fifteen  minutes,  1  :  20  in  five  minutes;  carbolic  acid,  1  :  20 
in  fifteen  minutes,  1  :  10  in  ten  minutes;  sulphate  of  copper,  1  :  20,  in 
ten  minutes  ;  chloride  of  lime  1  :  20,  in  five  minutes. 

In  Vir chow's  Archiv  of  March  2,  1887,  is  a  paper  by  Guttmann  and 
Merke,  of  the  City  Hospital  Moabit,  in  Berlin,  relating  to  the  disinfec- 
tion of  inhabited  apartments.  In  making  their  experiments,  the  authors 
had  in  view  the  necessity  of  effectually  destroying  infectious  disease 
germs  with  an  agent  which  should  not  injure  the  house  or  furniture,  or 

iAbst.  Rev.  d.  sci.  med.  t.  xxviii,  p.  532. 

2  Bakteriologische  Studien  zur  typhus  Aetiologie,  Miinchen,  1SS6. 


176  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

be  dangerous  to  the  health  of  the  persons  who  apply  it.  The  anthrax 
bacillus  attached  to  silk  threads  (dried)  was  taken  as  a  test-organism. 
The  disinfecting  solutions  were  applied  directly  to  walls,  ceilings,  and 
floors,  or,  in  the  form  of  spray,  to  rags,  etc.  The  conclusion  is  reached 
that  a  solution  of  mercuric  chloride  of  1  :  1,000,  applied  as  a  wash  or 
spray,  is  the  most  reliable  and  the  cheapest  disinfecting  agent  for  use  in 
inhabited  rooms.  This  corresponds  with  the  recommendations  of  the 
Committee  on  Disinfectants  made  in  their  report  of  1885. 


PTOMAINES. 

By  VICTOR   C.   VAUGHAN,  Ph.  D.,  M.  D., 

Ann  Arbor,  Mich. 

A  ptomaine  is  a  chemical  compound,  which  is  basic  in  its  character, 
and  which  is  formed  during1  the  putrefaction  of  organic  matter.  The 
name  was  suggested  by  Selmi,  and  is  derived  from  the  Greek  word  -rtirxa 
(cadaver).  On  account  of  their  basic  properties,  in  which  they  resemble 
the  vegetable  alkaloids,  ptomaines  may  be  called  putrefactive  alkaloids. 
They  have  been  called  animal  alkaloids,  but  this  is  a  misnomer,  because 
some  ptomaines  are  formed  by  the  putrefaction  of  vegetable  matter,  as 
will  be  shown  further  on.  While  some  of  the  ptomaines  are  highly  poi- 
sonous, this  is  not  an  essential  property,  for  others  are  wholly  inert. 
Indeed,  the  greater  number  of  those  which  have  been  isolated  up  to  the 
present  time  are  not  poisonous.  On  the  other  hand,  all  poisonous  sub- 
stances formed  during  putrefaction  are  not  ptomaines.  Thus,  phenol, 
some  of  the  amide-acids,  and  hydrogen  sulphide  are  poisonous  products 
of  putrefaction,  but  are  not  ptomaines. 

All  ptomaines  contain  nitrogen,  as  an  essential  part  of  their  basic 
character.  In  this,  also,  they  resemble  the  vegetable  alkaloids.  Some 
of  them  contain  oxygen,  while  others  do  not.  The  latter  correspond 
to  the  volatile  vegetable  alkaloids,  nicotine  and  conine,  and  the  former 
correspond  to  the  fixed  alkaloids. 

Since  all  putrefaction  is  due  to  the  action  of  bacteria,  it  follows  that 
all  ptomaines  result  from  the  growth  of  these  micro-organisms.  The 
kind  of  ptomaine  formed  will  depend  upon  the  individual  bacterium 
engaged  in  its  production,  the  nature  of  the  material  being  acted  upon 
by  the  bacterium,  and  the  conditions  under  which  the  putrefaction  goes 
on,  such  as  the  temperature,  the  amount  of  oxygen  present,  the  electrical 
conditions  existing,  and  the  duration  of  the  process.  Only  the  bacillus 
of  typhoid  fever  (Eberth's  bacillus),  so  far  as  is  known,  at  least,  can  pro- 
duce the  ptomaine  typhotoxine,  and  the  special  bacterium  of  tetanus 
seems  to  be  necessary  in  order  to  produce  tetanine,  a  ptomaine  which, 
when  injected  under  the  skin  of  an  animal,  causes  tetanic  convulsions. 

Brieger  found  that  although  the  typhoid  bacillus  grew  well  in  solu- 
tions of  peptone,  it  did  not  produce  any  ptomaine  ;  while  from  cultures 
of  the  same  bacillus  in  beef  tea  he  obtained  a  poisonous  alkaloid.  Fitz 
found  that  whilst  the  bacillus  butyricus  produces  by  its  action  on  carbo- 
hydrates butyric  acid,  in  glycerin  it  produces  propylic  alcohol.  Brown 
has  shown  that  while  the  mycoderma  aceti  converts  ethylic  alcohol  into 
acetic  acid,  it  converts  propylic  alcohol  into  propionic  acid,  and  is  with- 
out effect  upon  methylic  alcohol,  primary  isobutylic  alcohol,  and  amylic 
alcohol.     Some  bacteria  will  not  multiply  below  a  given  temperature. 


1^8  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

Thus,  the  bacillus  butyricus  will  not  grow  at  a  temperature  below  240 
C.  The  lower  temperature  does  not  destroy  the  organism,  but  it  lies 
dormant  until  the  conditions  are  more  favorable  for  its  growth. 

Pasteur  divided  the  bacteria  into  two  classes,  the  aerobic  and  the  an- 
aerobic. As  the  name  implies,  the  former  grow  and  thrive  in  the  pres- 
ence of  air,  while  the  latter  find  their  conditions  of  life  improved  by  the 
exclusion  of  air.  Therefore  different  ptomaines  will  be  formed  in  de- 
composing matter  freely  exposed  to  the  air,  and  in  that  which  is  buried 
beneath  the  soil  or  from  which  the  air  is  largely  excluded.  Even  when 
the  same  ferment  is  present  the  products  of  the  putrefaction  will  vary  with- 
in certain  limits,  according  to  the  extent  to  which  the  putrefying  mate- 
rial is  supplied  with  air.  The  kind  of  ptomaine  found  in  a  given  putrid 
substance  will  depend  also  upon  the  stage  of  the  joutrefaction.  Ptomaines 
are  transition  products  in  the  process  of  putrefaction.  They  are  tem- 
porary forms  through  which  matter  passes,  while  it  is  being  transformed, 
by  the  activity  of  bacterial  life,  from  the  organic  to  the  inorganic  state. 
Complex  organic  substances,  as  muscle  and  brain,  are  broken  up  into 
less  complex  molecules  ;  and  so  the  process  of  chemical  division  goes  on, 
until  the  simple  and  well  known  final  products,  carbonic  acid  gas,  am- 
monia, and  water,  result.  But  the  variety  of  combinations  into  which 
an  individual  atom  of  carbon  may  enter  during  this  long  series  of  changes 
is  almost  unlimited,  and  with  each  change  in  combination  there  is  more 
or  less  change  in  nature.  In  one  combination  the  atom  of  carbon  may 
exist  as  a  constituent  of  a  highly  poisonous  substance,  while  the  next 
combination  into  which  it  enters  may  be  wholly  inert. 

It  was  formerly  supposed  that  putrefaction  was  simply  oxidation,  but 
the  researches  of  Pasteur  and  others  have  demonstrated  the  fact  that 
countless  myriads  of  minute  organisms  are  engaged  constantly  in  trans- 
forming matter  from  the  organic  to  the  inorganic  form. 

Historical  Sketch.  It  must  have  been  known  to  primitive  man  that 
the  eating  of  putrid  flesh  was  liable  to  affect  the  health  more  or  less 
seriously  ;  and  when  he  began  his  endeavors  to  preserve  his  food  for 
future  use,  instances  of  poisoning  from  putrefaction  must  have  multi- 
plied. However,  the  distinguished  physiologist,  Albert  von  Haller, 
seems  to  have  been  the  first  to  make  any  scientific  experiments  concern- 
ing the  effects  of  putrid  matter  upon  animals.  He  injected  aqueous  ex- 
tracts of  putrid  material  into  the  veins  of  animals,  and  found  that  death 
resulted.  Later,  in  the  eighteenth  century,  Morand  gave  an  account  of 
the  symptoms  induced  by  eating  some  poisonous  meat.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  present  century  (1808  to  1814),  Gaspard  carried  on  similar 
experiments.  He  used  as  material  the  putrid  flesh  of  both  carnivorous 
and  herbivorous  animals.  With  these  he  induced  marked  nervous  dis- 
turbances, as  stiffness  of  the  limbs,  opisthotonos,  and  tetanus.  Gaspard 
concluded  from  the  symptoms  that  the  poisonous  effects  were  not  due  to 
carbonic  acid  gas  or  hydrogen  sulphide,  but  thought  it  possible  that  am- 
monia might  have  part  in  their  production.  In  1S20  Kerner  published 
his  first  essay  on  poisonous  sausage,  which  was  followed  by  a  second  in 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 79 

1822.  At  first  he  thought  that  the  poisonous  properties  were  due  to  a 
fatty  acid  similar  to  the  sebacic  of  Thenard,  and  which  originated  during 
putrefaction.  Later,  he  modified  these  views,  and  believed  the  poison 
to  be  a  compound  consisting  of  the  sebacic  acid  and  a  volatile  principle. 
This  may  be  regarded  as  the  first  suggestion  as  to  the  probability  of  the 
development  of  a  poisonous  substance  with  basic  properties  in  decom- 
posing matter.  In  1822  Dupre  observed  a  peculiar  disease  among  the 
soldiers  under  his  care,  who,  during  the  very  warm  and  dry  summer  of 
that  year,  were  compelled  to  drink  very  foul  water.  Later,  Magendie, 
induced  by  the  investigations  of  Gaspard  and  the  observations  of  Dupre, 
made  many  experiments,  in  which  dogs  and  other  animals  were  confined 
over  vessels  containing  putrid  animal  matter,  and  compelled  constant- 
ly to  breathe  the  emanations  therefrom.  The  effects  varied  markedly 
with  the  species  of  animal  and  the  nature  of  the  putrid  material,  but  in 
some  instances  symptoms  were  induced  which  resembled  closely  those 
of  typhoid  fever  in  man.  Leurent  directed  his  attention  to  the  chemical 
changes  produced  in  blood  by  putrefaction,  but  accomplished  nothing  of 
special  value.  Dupuy  injected  putrid  material  into  the  jugular  vein  of  a 
horse,  and  with  Trosseau  studied  alterations  produced  in  the  blood  by 
these  injections. 

In  1S50  Prof.  Schmidt,  of  Dorpat,  made  some  investigations  on  the 
decomposition  products  and  volatile  substances  found  in  cholera  stools  ; 
and  two  years  later  Meyer,  of  Berlin,  injected  the  blood  and  stools  of 
cholera  patients  into  lower  animals.  In  1S53  Stich  made  an  important 
contribution  on  the  effects  of  acute  poisoning  with  putrid  material.  He 
ascertained  that  when  given  in  sufficient  quantity,  putrid  matter  produced 
an  intestinal  catarrh  with  choleraic  stools.  Nervous  symptoms,  trem- 
bling, unsteady  gait,  and  finally  convulsions  were  also  observed.  Stich 
made  careful  post-mortem  examinations,  and  was  unable  to  find  any 
characteristic  or  important  lesion.  Theoretically,  he  concluded  that  the 
putrid  material  contained  a  ferment  which  produced  rapid  decomposi- 
tion of  the  blood. 

In  1856  Prof.  Panum  published  a  most  important  contribution  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  nature  of  the  poison  present  in  putrid  flesh.  He  first 
demonstrated  positively  the  chemical  character  of  the  poison,  inasmuch 
as  he  showed  that  the  aqueous  extract  of  the  putrid  material  retained  its 
poisonous  properties  after  treatment  which  would  insure  the  destruction 
of  all  organisms.     His  conclusions  were  as  follows  : 

(1)  "The  putrid  poison,  contained  in  the  decomposed  flesh  of  the 
dog,  and  which  is  obtained  by  extraction  with  distilled  water  and  repeat- 
ed filtration,  is  not  volatile,  but  fixed.  It  does  not  pass  over  on  distilla- 
tion, but  remains  in  the  retort." 

(2)  "The  putrid  poison  is  not  destroyed  by  boiling,  nor  by  evapora- 
tion. It  preserves  its  poisonous  properties  even  after  the  boiling  has 
been  continued  for  eleven  hours,  and  after  the  evaporation  has  been  car- 
ried to  complete  desiccation  at  ioo°." 

(3)  "  The  putrid  poison  is  insoluble  in  absolute  alcohol,  but  is  soluble 


l8o  REPORT  OF   COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

in  water,  and  is  contained  in  the  aqueous  extract,  which  is  formed  by 
treating  with  distilled  water  the  putrid  material,  which  has  previously 
been  dried  by  heat  and  washed  with  alcohol." 

(4)  "  The  albuminoid  substances,  which  frequently  are  found  in 
putrid  fluids,  are  not  in  themselves  poisonous  only  so  far  as  they  contain 
the  putrid  poison  fixed  and  condensed  upon  their  surfaces,  from  which 
it  can  be  removed  by  repeated  and  careful  washing." 

(5)  "  The  intensity  of  the  putrid  poison  is  comparable  to  that  of  the 
venom  of  serpents,  of  curare,  and  of  certain  vegetable  alkaloids,  inas- 
much as  .012  gramme  of  the  poison,  obtained  by  extracting  with  dis- 
tilled water  putrid  material,  which  had  been  previously  boiled  for  a  long 
time,  dried  at  ioo°,  and  submitted  to  the  action  of  absolute  alcohol,  was 
sufficient  to  almost  kill  a  small  dog." 

Panum  made  intravenous  injections  with  this  poison  and  with  ammo- 
nium carbonate,  ammonium  butyrate,  ammonium  valerianate,  tyrosin, 
and  leucin,  and  found  that  the  symptoms  induced  by  the  putrid  poison 
differed  from  those  caused  by  the  other  agents.  Moreover,  he  found  the 
symptoms  to  differ  from  those  of  typhoid  fever,  cholera,  pyaemia,  an- 
thrax, and  sausage  poisoning.  He  was  in  doubt  as  to  whether  the  poi- 
son acted  directly  upon  the  nervous  system,  or  whether  it  acted  as  a 
ferment  upon  the  blood,  causing  a  decomposition,  the  products  of  which 
affected  the  nerve-centres  ;  but  he  was  sure  that  it  could  not  correspond 
to  the  ordinary  ferments,  inasmuch  as  it  was  not  decomposed  by  pro- 
longed boiling,  nor  by  treatment  with  absolute  alcohol.  Certainly  the 
putrid  poison  could  not  consist  of  a  living  organism. 

The  symptoms  observed  by  Panum  varied  greatly  with  the  quantity  of 
the  poison  used  and  the  strength  of  the  animal.  After  the  intravenous 
injection  of  large  doses,  death  followed  in  a  very  short  time.  In  these 
cases  there  were  violent  cramps,  and  involuntary  evacuations  of  the 
urine  and  faeces  ;  the  respirations  were  labored  ;  the  pallor  was  marked, 
sometimes  followed  by  cyanosis  ;  the  pulse  feeble  ;  the  pupils  widely 
dilated,  and  the  eyes  projecting.  In  these  cases  the  autopsy  did  not 
reveal  any  lesion,  save  that  the  blood  was  dark,  imperfectly  coagulated, 
and  slightly  infiltrated  through  the  tissue.  Post-mortem  putrefaction 
came  on  with  extraordinary  rapidity. 

When  smaller  doses  or  more  vigorous  animals  were  used,  the  symp- 
toms did  not  appear  before  from  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  two  hours,  and 
sometimes  even  later.  In  these  cases  the  symptoms  were  less  violent, 
and  the  animal  generally  recovered.  In  all  instances,  however,  the 
disturbances  were  more  or  less  marked. 

In  addition  to  the  "  putrid  poison,"  Panum  obtained  a  narcotic  sub- 
stance, the  two  being  separated  by  the  solubility  of  the  narcotic  in  alco- 
hol. The  alcoholic  extract  was  evaporated  to  dryness,  the  residue  dis- 
solved in  water,  and  inserted  into  the  jugular  vein  of  a  dog.  The  animal 
fell  into  a  deep  sleep,  which  remained  unbroken  for  twenty-four  hours, 
when  he  awoke  apparently  in  perfect  health. 

Weber  in  1864,  and  Hemmer  and  Sche Wenninger  in  1866,  confirmed 


REPORT   OF   COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  l8l 

the  results  obtained  by  Panum,  and  Schwenninger  announced  that  in  the 
various  stages  of  putrefaction  different  products  are  formed,  and  that 
these  vary  in  their  effects  upon  animals.  In  1866,  Bence  Jones,  and 
Dupre  obtained  from  the  liver  a  substance  which  in  solutions  of  dilute 
sulphuric  acid  gives  the  blue  fluorescence  observed  in  similar  solutions  of 
quinine.  To  this  substance  they  gave  the  name  "  animal  chinoidin." 
Subsequently,  the  same  investigators  found  this  substance  in  all  organs 
and  tissues  of  the  body,  but  most  abundantly  in  the  nerves.  Its  feebly 
acid  solutions  give  precipitates  with  iodine,  potassio-mercuric  iodide, 
phosphomolybdic  acid,  gold  chloride,  and  platinum  chloride.  From 
three  pounds  of  sheep's  liver  they  obtained  three  grams  of  a  solution, 
in  which  after  slight  acidulation  with  sulphuric  acid  the  intensity  of  the 
fluorescence  was  about  the  same  as  that  of  a  similarly  acidulated  solution 
of  quinine  sulphate,  which  contained  0.2  gram  of  quinine  per  liter. 
Still  later,  this  base  was  observed  by  Marino-Zuco. 

In  1 868  Bergmann  and  Schmiedeberg  separated,  first  from  putrid 
yeast  and  subsequently  from  decomposed  blood,  in  the  form  of  a  sul- 
phate, a  poisonous  substance  which  they  named  sepsin.  The  sulphate 
of  sepsin  forms  in  needle-shaped  crystals.  Small  doses  (0.01  gram)  of 
this  substance  were  dissolved  in  water,  and  injected  into  the  veins  of  two 
dogs.  In  a  short  time  it  produced  vomiting,  and  later  diarrhoea,  which 
in  one  of  the  animals  after  a  time  became  bloody.  Post-mortem  exam- 
ination showed  in  the  stomach  and  intestines  bloody  ecchymoses.  It 
was  now  believed  that  the  "  putrid  poison  "  had  been  isolated,  and  that 
it  was  identical  with  sepsin  ;  but  further  investigations  showed  that  this 
was  not  true.  There  are  marked  differences  in  their  effects  upon  ani- 
mals, and  sepsin  has  not  been  found  to  be  generally  present  in  putrid 
material.  It  is  only  rarely  found  in  blood,  and  the  closest  search  has 
failed  to  show  its  presence  in  pus.  Bergmann,  following  the  same 
method  which  he  had  used  in  extracting  this  poison  from  yeast,  has  been 
unable  to  obtain  it  from  other  putrid  material.  Moreover,  he  has  not 
always  been  successful  in  obtaining  the  poison  from  yeast.  Sepsin  was 
not  obtained  in  quantity  sufficient  to  serve  for  an  ultimate  analysis,  hence 
its  composition  remains  unknown. 

In  1S69,  Zeuler  and  Sonnenschein  prepared,  from  decomposed  meat 
extracts,  a  nitrogenous  base,  which  in  its  chemical  reactions  and  physi- 
ological effects  resembles  atropia  and  hyoscyamia.  When  injected  under 
the  skin  of  animals,  it  produced  dilatation  of  the  pupils,  paralysis  of  the 
muscles  of  the  intestines,  and  acceleration  of  the  heart-beats  ;  but  it  is 
uncertain  and  inconstant  in  its  action.  This  probably  results  from  rapid 
decomposition  taking  place  in  it,  or  to  variations  in  its  composition  at 
different  stages  of  putrefaction.  This  substance  has  also  been  obtained 
from  the  bodies  of  those  who  have  died  from  typhoid  fever ;  and  it  may 
be  possible  that  the  belladonna-like  delirium  which  frequently  charac- 
terizes the  later  stages  of  this  disease  is  due  to  the  ante-mortem  genera- 
tion of  this  poison  within  the  body. 

Since  1870  many  chemists  have  been  engaged  in  making  investigations 


182  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

on  the  products  of  putrefaction.  First  of  all  stands  the  Italian,  Selmi, 
who  suggested  the  name  "  ptomaine,"  and  whose  researches  furnished 
us  with  much  information  of  value,  and,  what  is  probably  of  more  im- 
portance, gave  an  impetus  to  the  study  of  the  chemistry  of  putrefaction 
which  has  already  been  productive  of  much  good,  and  gives  promise  of 
much  more  in  the  future.  Selmi  showed  that  ptomaines  could  be  ob- 
tained (i)  by  extracting  acidified  solutions  of  putrid  material  with  ether  ; 
(2)  by  extracting  alkaline  solutions  with  ether;  (3)  by  extracting  alka- 
line solutions  with  chloroform  ;  (4)  by  extracting  alkaline  solutions  with 
anvlic  alcohol ;  and  (5)  that  there  yet  remained  in  the  solutions  of  putrid 
matter  ptomaines  which  were  not  extracted  by  any  of  the  above  men- 
tioned reagents.  In  this  way  he  gave  some  idea  of  the  great  number  of 
alkaloidal  bodies  which  might  be  formed  among  the  products  of  putre- 
faction, and  the  promising  field  thus  discovered  and  outlined  was  soon 
occupied  by  a  busy  host  of  chemists.  In  the  second  place,  he  demon- 
strated the  fact  that  many  of  the  ptomaines  give  reactions  similar  to  those 
given  by  the  vegetable  alkaloids.  This  led  the  toxicologist  into  investi- 
gations, the  results  of  some  of  which  we  will  ascertain  further  on. 

Rorsch  and  Fassbender,  in  a  case  of  suspected  poisoning,  obtained  by 
the  Stas-Otto  method  a  liquid,  which  could  be  extracted  from  acid  as 
well  as  from  alkaline  solutions  by  ether,  and  which  gave  all  the  general 
alkaloidal  reactions.  They  were  unable  to  crystallize  either  extract  by 
taking  it  up  with  alcohol  and  evaporating.  The  colorless  aqueous  solu- 
tion was  not  at  all  bitter  to  the  taste.  The  precipitate  formed  with  phos- 
phomolybdic  acid  dissolved  on  the  application  of  heat,  giving  a  green 
solution,  which  became  blue  on  the  addition  of  ammonia.  They  be- 
lieved that  this  substance  was  derived  from  the  liver,  since  fresh  ox-liver 
treated  in  the  same  manner  gave  them  an  alkaloid,  which  could  be  ex- 
tracted with  ether  from  acid  as  well  as  from  alkaline  solutions.  Gunning 
found  this  same  alkaloid  in  liver  sausage  from  which  poisoning  had 
occurred.  Rorsch  and  Fassbender  state  that  while  in  some  of  its  reactions 
this  substance  resembles  digitalin,  it  was  distinguished  from  this  vege- 
table alkaloid  by  the  failure  of  the  ptomaine  to  give  the  characteristic 
bitter  taste. 

Schwanert,  whilst  examining  the  decomposing  intestines,  liver,  and 
spleen  of  a  child  which  had  died  suddenly,  perceived  a  peculiar  odor, 
and  obtained  bv  the  Stas-Otto  method  (ether  extract  from  an  alkaline 
solution)  small  quantities  of  a  base,  which  was  distinguished  from  nico- 
tine and  conine  by  its  greater  volatility  and  by  its  peculiar  odor.  He 
supposed  that  this  substance  was  produced  by  decomposition  ;  and  in 
order  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  his  supposition  he  took  the  organs  of  a 
cadaver  that  had  lain  for  sixteen  days  at  a  temperature  of  300,  and  was 
well  decomposed.  These  were  treated  with  tartaric  acid  and  alcohol. 
The  acid  solution  was  first  extracted  with  ether,  and  yielded  no  result ; 
it  was  then  rendered  alkaline,  and  extracted  with  ether.  The  latter  ex- 
tract gave  on  evaporation  the  same  substance  which  he  had  found  in  the 
organs  of  the  child.     The  residue  was  a  yellowish  oil,  having  an  odor 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE*  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  183 

somewhat  similar  to  propylamine.     It  was  repulsive,  but  not  bitter,  to 
the  taste,  and  alkaline  in  reaction. 

Selmi,  in  commenting  upon  the  base  studied  by  Rorsch  and  Fass- 
bender,  Schwanert,  and  himself,  believing  that  all  were  dealing  with  the 
same  body,  states  that  it  does  not  contain  phosphorus,  and  that  it  is  sep- 
arated with  extreme  difficulty  from  the  vegetable  alkaloids. 

Liebermann,  in  examining  the  somewhat  decomposed  stomach  and 
intestines  in  a  case  of  suspected  poisoning,  found  an  alkaloidal  bodv, 
which  was  unlike  that  studied  by  the  chemists  mentioned  above,  inas- 
much as  it  was  not  volatile.  The  Stas-Otto  method  was  employed. 
The  ether  extract  from  alkaline  solution  left  on  evaporation  a  brownish, 
resinous  mass,  which  dissolved  in  water  to  a  turbid  solution,  the  cloudi- 
ness increasing  on  heating.  This  reaction  agrees  with  conine,  but  the 
odor  differed  from  that  of  the  vegetable  alkaloid. 

This  substance  is  extracted  by  ether  from  acid,  as  well  as  from  alka- 
line, solutions.  The  yellow,  oily  drops  obtained  after  the  evaporation  of 
the  ether  are  soluble  in  alcohol.     The  taste  is  slightly  burning. 

Selmi  obtained  from  both  putrefying  and  fresh  intestines  a  substance 
which  gave  the  general  alkaloidal  reactions  with  potassium  iodide,  gold 
chloride,  platinum  chloride,  potassio-mercuric  iodide,  and  phosphomolyb- 
dic  acid.  It  has  strong  reducing  power,  and  when  warmed  with  sul- 
phuric acid  gives  a  violet  coloration.  These  reactions  are  not  due  to 
leucin,  tyrosin,  kreatin,  or  kreatinin.  This  is  the  substance  which,  as 
has  been  stated,  Selmi  considered  identical  with  that  observed  by  Rorsch 
and  Fassbender  and  Schwanert.  The  minor  differences  observed  by  the 
different  chemists  may  have  been  due  to  the  different  degrees  of  purity 
in  which  the  substance  was  obtained  by  them. 

From  human  bodies  which  had  been  dead  from  one  to  ten  months 
Selmi  removed  many  alkaline  bases.  From  an  ether  solution  of  a  num- 
ber of  these,  one  was  removed  by  treatment  with  carbonic  acid  gas.  One 
base,  which  was  insoluble  in  ether  but  readily  soluble  in  amylic  alcohol, 
was  found  to  be  a  violent  poison,  producing  in  rabbits  tetanus,  marked 
dilatation  of  the  pupils,  paralysis,  and  death. 

Parts  of  the  human  body  preserved  in  alcohol  were  found  by  Selmi  to 
yield  an  easily  volatile,  phosphorous-containing  substance,  which  is  solu- 
ble in  ether  and  carbon  bisulphide,  and  gives  a  brown  precipitate  with 
silver  nitrate.  It  is  not  the  phosphide  of  hydrogen.  A  similar  substance 
is  produced  by  the  slow  decomposition  of  the  yolks  of  eggs.  With  potas- 
sium hydrate  it  gives  off  ammonia,  and  yields  a  substance  having  an 
intense  conine  odor.     It  is  volatile,  and  reduces  phosphomolybdic  acid. 

Selmi  also  obtained  from  decomposing  egg-albumen  a  body  whose 
chloride  forms  in  needles,  and  which  has  a  curare-like  action  on  frogs. 
From  one  arsenical  body  which  had  been  buried  for  fourteen  days  he 
obtained,  by  extracting  from  an  alkaline  (made  alkaline  with  baryta) 
solution  with  ether,  a  substance  which  formed  in  needles,  and  which  gave 
crystalline  salts  with  acids.  This  substance  did  not  contain  any  arsenic, 
but  was  highly  poisonous.     From  the  stomach  of  a  hog,  which  had  been 


384  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

preserved  in  a  solution  of  arsenious  acid,  Sehni  separated  an  arsenical 
organic  base.  The  fluid  was  distilled  in  a  current  of  hydrogen.  The 
distillate,  which  was  found  to  be  strongly  alkaline,  was  neutralized  with 
hydrochloric  acid  and  evaporated  to  dryness,  when  cross-shaped  crystals, 
giving  an  odor  similar  to  that  of  trimethylamine,  were  obtained.  This 
substance  was  found  by  Cicaccio  to  be  highly  poisonous,  producing 
strychnia-like  symptoms.  From  the  liquid  which  remained  in  the  retort 
a  non-volatile  arsenical  ptomaine  was  extracted  with  ether.  The  physio- 
logical action  of  this  substance,  as  demonstrated  on  frogs,  was  unlike  that 
of  the  arsines,  but  consisted  of  torpor  and  paralysis. 

Moriggia  and  Battistini  experimented  with  alkaloids  obtained  from 
decomposing  bodies  upon  Guinea-pigs  and  frogs,  but  did  not  attempt 
their  isolation,  because  of  the  rapid  decomposition  which  they  undergo 
when  exposed  to  the  air  and  by  which  they  lose  their  poisonous  proper- 
ties. These  alkaloids  they  found  to  be  easily  soluble  in  amylic  alcohol, 
less  soluble  in  ether. 

In  1 871,  Lombroso  showed  that  the  extract  from  mouldy  corn  meal 
produced  tetanic  convulsions  in  animals.  This  threw  some  light  upon 
the  cases  of  sporadic  illness  which  had  long  been  known  to  occur  among 
the  peasants  of  Lombardy,  who  eat  fermented  and  mouldy  corn  meal. 
In  1876,  Brugnatelli  and  Zenoni  obtained  by  the  Stas-Otto  method  from 
this  mouldy  meal  an  alkaloidal  substance  which  was  white,  non-crystal- 
line, unstable,  and  insoluble  in  water,  but  readily  soluble  in  alcohol  and 
ether.  With  sulphuric  acid  and  bichromate  of  potassium  it  yields  a  color 
reaction  very  similar  to  that  of  strychnia. 

The  action  of  the  ether  extracts  from  decomposed  brain  resembles 
that  of  curare,  but  is  less  marked  and  more  transitory.  The  beats 
of  the  frog's  heart  were  decreased  in  number  and  strengthened  in  force  ; 
the  nerves  and  muscles  lost  their  irritability,  and  the  animal  passed  into 
a  condition  of  complete  torpor.  The  pupils  were  dilated.  Guareschi  and 
Mosso,  using  the  Stas-Otto  method,  obtained  from  human  brains,  which 
had  been  allowed  to  decompose  at  a  temperature  of  from  io°  to  150  for 
from  one  to  two  months,  bo.th  volatile  and  non-volatile  bases.  Among 
the  former  only  ammonia  and  trimethylamine  were  in  sufficient  quantity 
for  identification.  With  these,  however,  were  minute  traces  of  ptomaines. 

To  Prof.  L.  Brieger,  of  Berlin,  is  due  the  credit  of  isolating  and  de- 
termining the  composition  of  a  number  of  ptomaines.  From  putrid  flesh 
he  obtained  neuridin,  C5H14N3,  and  neurin,  C5H13NO.  The  former 
is  inert,  while  the  later  is  poisonous.  From  decomposed  fish  he  sepa- 
rated a  poisonous  base,  C2H4(NH2)2,  which  is  an  isomeride  of  ethvl- 
enediamine,  muscarine,  C5Hi5N03,  and  an  inert  substance,  C6H17N021, 
gadanine.  Rotten  cheese  yielded  neuridine  and  trimethylamine.  De- 
composed glue  gave  neuridine,  dimethylamine,  and  a  muscarine-like 
base.  In  the  cadaver,  he  has  found  in  different  stages  of  decomposition 
choline,  neuridine,  trimethylamine,  cadaverine,  C5H16N2i,  putrescine, 
C4H12N2,  and  saprine,  which  is  identical  with  cadaverine  in  composi- 
tion, but  unlike  it  in  some  of  its  chemical  reactions.     These  are  all  inert. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  185 

After  fourteen  days  of  decomposition  he  found  a  poisonous  substance, 
mydaleine.  From  a  cadaver  which  had  been  kept  at  from  — 90  to  +50  C. 
for  four  months,  Brieger  obtained  mydine,  C8HnNO,  the  poisonous 
substance  mydatoxine,  C6Hi3N02i,  also  the  poison,  methyl-guanidine. 
From  poisonous  mussel  he  separated  mytilotoxine,  C6H15N02.  From 
pure  cultures  of  the  typhoid  bacillus  of  Koch  and  Eberth,  Brieger  ob- 
tained a  poison,  typhotoxine,  and  from  like  cultures  of  the  tetanus  germ 
of  Rosenbach,  tetanine. 

Gautier  and  Etard  have  also  isolated  some  ptomaines,  which  will  be 
described  later. 

In  1SS5,  Vaughan  succeeded  in  isolating  the  active  agent  of  poisonous 
cheese,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  tyrotoxicon.  This  discovery  has 
been  confirmed  by  Newton,  Wallace,  Schaeffer,  Stanton,  Firth,  and 
Wolf. 

Nicati,  Rietsch,  Koch,  and  others  have  shown  the  presence  of  a  ptomaine 
in  cultures  of  the  cholera  bacillus.  Salmon  and  Smith  have  done  the 
same  with  cultures  of  the  hog  cholera  germ;  Hoffa,  with  those  of  the 
anthrax  bacillus  ;  and  Brieger  with  those  of  the  tetanus  germ. 

FOODS    CONTAINING    POISONOUS    PTOMAINES. 

Poisonous  Mussels. — Judging  from  the  symptoms  produced,  there  are 
three  different  kinds  of  poisonous  mussels.  In  one  class,  the  symptoms 
seem  to  be  those  of  a  true  gastro-intestinal  irritant.  Fodere  reports  the 
case  of  a  sailoT,  who,  after  eating  a  large  dish  of  mussels,  suffered  from 
nausea,  vomiting,  pain  in  the  stomach,  tenesmus,  and  rapid  pulse.  After 
death,  which  occurred  within  two  days,  the  stomach  and  intestines  were 
found  inflamed,  and  filled  with  a  tenacious  mucus.  Combe  and  others 
also  report  cases  of  the  choleraic  form  of  poisoning  from  mussel. 

However,  the  symptoms  which  most  frequently  manifest  themselves 
after  the  eating  of  poisonous  mussel  are  more  purely  nervous.  A  sensa- 
tion of  heat  and  itching  appears  usually  in  the  eye-lids,  and  soon  involves 
the  whole  face  and  perhaps  a  large  portion  of  the  body.  An  eruption, 
usually  called  nettle  rash,  though  it  may  be  papular  or  vessicular,  covers 
the  parts.  The  itching  is  most  annoying,  and  may  be  accompanied  by 
marked  swelling.  Then  follows  a  distressing  asthmatic  breathing,  which 
is  relieved  by  ether.  In  some  cases  reported  by  Mohring,  dyspnoea  pre- 
ceded the  eruption,  the  patients  became  insensible,  the  face  livid,  and 
convulsive  movements  of  the  extremities  were  noticed.  Burrow  reports 
similar  cases  with  delirium,  convulsions,  coma,  and  death  within  three 
days. 

In  a  third  class  of  cases,  there  may  be  a  kind  of  intoxication  resembling 
somewhat  that  of  alcohol  ;  then  paralysis,  coma,  and  death. 

In  1827,  Combe  observed  thirty  persons  poisoned,  two  of  them  fatally, 
with  mussels.  He  describes  the  symptoms  as  follows:  '*  None,  so  far 
as  I  know,  complained  of  anything  peculiar  in  the  smell  or  taste  of  the 
animals,  and  nine  suffered  immediately  after  taking  them.  In  general, 
an  hour  or  two  elapsed,  sometimes  more;  and  the  bad  effects  consisted 


xS6  report  of  committee  on  disinfectants. 

rather  in  uneasy  feelings  and  debility,  than  in  any  distress  referable  to 
the  stomach.  Some  children  suffered  from  eating  only  two  or  three  ; 
and  it  will  be  remembered  that  Robertson,  a  young  and  healthy  man, 
only  took  five  or  six.  In  two  or  three  hours  they  complained  of  a  slight 
tension  at  the  stomach.  One  or  two  had  cardalgia,  nausea,  and  vomit- 
ing ;  but  these  were  not  general  or  lasting  symptoms.  They  then  com- 
plained of  a  prickly  feeling  in  their  hands,  heat  and  constriction  of  the 
mouth  and  throat,  difficulty  of  swallowing  and  speaking  freely,  numbness 
about  the  mouth,  gradually  extending  to  the  arms,  with  great  debility  of 
the  limbs.  The  degree  of  muscular  debility  varied  a  good  deal,  but  was 
an  invariable  symptom.  In  some  it  merely  prevented  them  from  walk- 
ing firmly,  but  in  most  of  them  it  amounted  to  perfect  inability  to  stand. 
While  in  bed  they  could  move  their  limbs  with  tolerable  freedom,  but 
on  being  raised  to  the  perpendicular  posture,  they  felt  their  limbs  sink 
under  them.  Some  complained  of  a  bad,  coppery  taste  in  the  mouth, 
but  in  general  this  was  in  answer  to  what  lawyers  call  a  leading  question. 
There  was  slight  pain  of  the  abdomen,  increased  on  pressure,  particu- 
larly in  the  region  of  the  bladder,  which  organ  suffered  variously  in  its 
functions.  In  some  the  secretion  of  urine  was  suspended  ;  in  others  it 
was  free,  but  passed  with  pain  and  great  effort.  The  action  of  the  heart 
was  feeble  ;  the  breathing  unaffected  ;  the  face  pale,  expressive  of  much 
anxiety  ;  the  surface  rather  cold  ;  the  mental  faculties  unimpaired.  Un- 
luckily, the  two  fatal  cases  were  not  seen  by  any  medical  person,  and  we 
are  therefore  unable  to  state  minutely  the  train  of  symptoms.  We  ascer- 
tained that  the  woman,  in  whose  house  were  five  sufferers,  went  away 
as  in  a  gentle  sleep,  and  that  a  few  moments  before  death  she  had  spoken 
and  swallowed." 

The  woman  died  within  three  hours.  The  other  death  was  that  of 
a  watchman,  who  was  found  dead  in  his  box  six  or  seven  hours  alter  he 
had  eaten  the  mussels.  Post-mortem  examination  in  these  showed  no 
abnormality.    The  stomach  contained  some  of  the  food  partially  digested. 

The  explorer,  Voncouver,  reports  four  cases  similar  to  those  observed 
bv  Combe.  One  of  the  sailors  died  in  five  and  a  half  hours  after  eating 
the  mussels. 

In  some  recent  cases  reported  by  Schmidtmann,  as  quoted  by  Brieger, 
the  symptoms  were  as  follows  :  Some  dock  hands  and  their  families  ate 
of  cooked  blue  mussels,  which  had  been  taken  near  a  newly  built  dock. 
The  symptoms  appeared,  according  to  the  amount  eaten,  from  soon  after 
eating  to  several  hours  later.  There  was  a  sensation  of  constriction  in 
the  throat,  mouth,  and  lips  ;  the  teeth  were  set  on  edge  as  though  sour 
apples  had  been  eaten.  There  was  dizziness,  no  headache,  a  sensation 
of  flving,  and  an  intoxication  similar  to  that  produced  by  alcohol.  The 
pulse  was  rapid  (from  eighty  to  ninety),  no  elevation  of  temperature, 
the  pupils  dilated  and  reactionless.  Speech  was  difficult,  broken,  and 
jerky.  The  limbs  felt  heavy  ;  the  hands  grasped  spasmodically  at  objects, 
and  missed  their  aim.  The  legs  were  no  longer  able  to  support  the  body, 
and  the  knees  knocked  together.     There  were  nausea,  vomiting,  no  ab- 


REPORT  OF   COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  187 

dominal  pain,  no  diarrhoea.  The  hands  became  numb,  and  the  feet  cold. 
The  sensation  of  cold  soon  extended  over  the  entire  body,  and  in  some 
the  perspiration  flowed  freely.  There  was  a  sensation  of  suffocation, 
then  a  restful  and  dreamless  sleep.  One  person  died  in  an  hour  and 
three  quarters,  another  in  three  and  a  half  hours,  and  a  third  in  five 
hours,  after  eating  of  the  mussels. 

In  one  of  these  fatal  cases,  rigor  mortis  was  marked,  and  remained  for 
twenty-four  hours.  The  vessels  of  all  the  organs  were  distended  ;  only 
the  heart  was  empty.  Virchow  concluded  from  the  conditions  observed 
that  the  blood  had  absorbed  oxygen  with  great  avidity.  There  was 
marked  hypersemia  and  swelling  of  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  stomach 
and  intestines,  which  Virchow  pronounced  an  enteritis.  The  spleen  was 
enormously  enlarged,  and  the  liver  showed  numerous  haemorrhagic  in- 
farctions. 

Many  theories  have  been  advanced  to  account  for  poisonous  mussels. 
It  was  formerly  believed  that  the  effects  were  due  to  copper,  which  the 
animals  obtained  from  the  bottoms  of  vessels  ;  but  as  Christison  remarks, 
copper  does  not  produce  these  symptoms.  Moreover,  Christison  made 
analysis  of  the  mussels  which  produced  the  symptoms  observed  by 
Combe,  and  was  unable  to  detect  any  copper.  Bouchardat  found  copper 
in  some  poisonous  mussels ;  but  he  does  not  state  the  amount,  nor  the 
source  of  the  animals. 

Edwards  advanced  the  theory  that  the  symptoms  were  wholly  due  to 
idiosyncrasy  in  the  consumer.  This  may  be  true  in  some  instances 
where  only  one  or  two  of  those  partaking  of  the  food  are  affected,  but  it 
certainly  is  not  a  tenable  hypothesis  in  such  instances  as  those  reported 
by  Combe  and  Schmidtmann,  where  all  those  who  partook  of  the  food 
were  affected. 

Coldstream  found  the  livers  of  the  Leith  mussels,  as  he  thought,  larger, 
darker,  and  more  brittle  than  normal,  and  to  this  diseased  condition  he 
attributed  the  ill  effects. 

Lamoroux,  Mohring,  De  Beune,  Chenu,  and  Du  Roxleau  nave  sup- 
posed that  the  poisonous  effects  were  due  to  a  particular  species  of  me- 
dusas, upon  which  the  animals  fed.  De  Beune  found  in  the  vomited 
matter  of  one  person  suffering  from  mussel  poisoning  some  medusas,  and 
he  states  that  these  are  most  abundant  during  the  summer,  when  mussels 
are  most  frequently  found  to  be  poisonous. 

The  theory  of  Burrow,  that  the  animal  is  always  poisonous  during  the 
period  of  reproduction,  has  been  received  with  considerable  credit. 
However,  cases  of  poisoning  have  occurred  at  different  seasons  of  the 
year. 

Crumpe,  in  1872,  suggested  that  there  is  a  species  of  mussel  which  is 
in  and  of  itself  poisonous,  and  this  species  is  often  mixed  with  the  edible 
variety.  Schmidtmann  and  Virchow  formerly  supported  this  idea.  They 
state  that  the  poisonous  species  has  a  brighter  shell,  a  sweeter,  more  pen- 
etrating, bouillon-like  odor,  than  the  edible  kind  ;  also,  that  the  flesh  of  the 
former  is  yellow,  and  that  the  water  in  which  they  are  cooked  is  bluish. 


jS8  report  of  committee  on  disinfectants. 

Lohmeyer  also  champions  this  opinion.  This  theory,  however,  is  op- 
posed by  the  majority  of  zoologists.  Mobius  states  that  the  peculiarities 
of  the  supposed  poisonous  variety,  pointed  out  by  Virchow  and  Schmidt- 
mann,  are  really  due  to  the  conditions  under  which  the  animal  lives,  the 
amount  of  salt  in  the  water,  the  temperature  of  the  water,  whether  it  is 
moving  or  still  wrater,  the  nature  of  the  bottom,  etc.  Finally,  Mobius 
states  that  the  sexual  glands,  which  form  the  greater  part  of  the  mantle, 
are  white  in  the  male  and  yellow  in  the  female.  However,  it  has  been 
shown  later  by  Schmidtmann  and  Virchow  that  edible  mussels  may  be- 
come poisonous  if  left  in  filthy  water  for  fourteen  days  or  longer  ;  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  poisonous  ones  may  become  fit  for  food  if  kept  for  four 
weeks  in  good  water.  This,  of  course,  overthrows  the  theory  of  the 
existence  of  a  special  poisonous  species. 

Cats  and  dogs  which  have  eaten  voluntarily  of  poisonous  mussels  have 
suffered  from  symptoms  similar  to  those  observed  in  man,  and  rabbits 
have  been  poisoned  by  the  administration  of  the  water  in  which  the  food 
has  been  cooked.  A  rabbit,  which  was  treated  in  this  manner  by  Schmidt- 
mann, died  within  one  minute.  From  these  mussels  Brieger  extracted 
the  ptomaine,  mytilotoxin.  This  poison  has  a  curare-like  action.  Wheth- 
er or  not  those  mussels  which  produce  other  symptoms  also  contain 
ptomaines,  remains  for  future  investigations  to  determine. 

Sausage  Poisoning.  This  is  also  known  as  botulismus  and  allan- 
tiasis. While  considerable  diversity  has  been  observed  in  symptoms  of 
sausage  poisoning,  we  cannot  divide  the  cases  into  classes  from  their 
symptomatology,  as  was  done  in  mussel  poisoning.  The  first  effects 
may  manifest  themselves  at  any  time  from  one  hour  to  twenty-four  hours 
after  eating  of  the  sausage,  and  cases  are  recorded  in  which,  it  is  stated, 
no  symptoms  appeared  until  several  days  had  passed.  However,  we 
must  remember  that  trichinosis  was  frequently,  in  former  times,  classed 
as  sausage  poisoning,  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  these  cases  of  long 
delay  in  the  appearance  of  the  symptoms  were  really  not  due  to  putre- 
faction, but  to  the  presence  of  parasites  in  the  meat.  A  large  majority 
of  the  1 24  cases  more  recently  reported  by  Muller  sickened  within  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  out  of  the  forty-eight  of  these  which  were  fatal,  six  died 
within  the  first  twenty -four  hours. 

At  first,  there  is  dryness  of  the  mouth,  constriction  of  the  throat,  un- 
easiness in  the  stomach,  nausea,  vomiting,  vertigo,  indistinctness  of 
vision,  dilatation  of  the  pupils,  difficulty  in  swallowing,  and  usually 
diarrhoea,  though  obstinate  constipation  may  exist  from  the  first.  There 
is,  as  a  rule,  a  sensation  of  suffocation,  and  the  breathing  becomes  labored. 
The  pulse  is  small,  thready,  and  rapid.  In  some  cases  the  radial  pulse 
maybe  imperceptible.  Marked  nervous  prostration  and  muscular  debil- 
ity follow.  These  symptoms  vary  greatly  in  prominence  in  individual 
cases.  The  retching  and  vomiting,  which  may  be  most  distressing  and 
persistent  in  some  instances,  in  others  are  trivial  at  the  beginning,  and 
soon  cease  altogether.  The  same  is  true  of  the  diarrhoea.  As  a  rule, 
the  functions  of  the  brain  proceed   normally,  but  there  may  be  delirium* 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  189 

then  coma,  and  death.  In  some  there  are  marked  convulsive  movements, 
especially  of  the  limbs  ;  in  others,  paralysis  may  be  an  early  and  marked 
symptom.  The  pupils  may  dilate,  then  become  normal,  and  again 
dilate.  There  is  frequently  ptosis,  and  paralysis  of  the  muscles  of 
accommodation  is  not  rare.  Complete  blindness  has  followed  in  a  few 
instances. 

The  fatality  varies  greatly  in  different  outbreaks.  In  1820  Kerner 
collected  reports  of  seventy-six  cases,  of  which  thirty-seven  were  fatal. 
In  his  second  publication  (1822)  he  increased  the  number  to  155  cases,, 
with  eighty-four  fatal  results.  This  gave  a  mortality  of  over  fifty  per  cent.  ; 
while  in  one  outbreak  reported  by  Miiller  the  mortality  was  less  than  two 
per  cent. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  cases  of  sausage  poisoning  have  occurred  in 
Wurtemberg,  and  the  immediately  adjacent  portions  of  Baden.  This 
fact  has,  without  doubt,  been  correctly  ascribed  to  the  methods  there 
practised  of  preparing  and  curing  the  sausage.  It  is  said  to  be  common 
for  the  people  to  use  the  dried  blood  of  the  sheep,  ox,  and  goat  in  the 
preparation  of  this  article.  Moreover,  the  blood  is  kept  sometimes  for 
days  in  wooden  boxes  and  at  a  high  temperature  before  it  is  used.  In 
these  cases  it  is  altogether  likely  that  putrefaction  progresses  to  the 
poisonous  stage  before  the  process  of  curing  is  begun.  However,  cases 
of  poisoning  have  occurred  from  beef  and  pork  sausages  as  well. 

Moreover,  the  method  of  curing  employed  in  Wurtemberg  favors 
putrefaction.  A  kind  of  sausage  known  as  "blunzen"  is  made  by  filling 
the  stomachs  of  hogs  with  the  meat.  In  curing,  the  interior  of  this  great 
mass  is  not  acted  upon,  and  putrefaction  sets  in.  The  curing  is  usually 
done  by  hanging  the  sausage  in  the  chimney.  At  night,  the  fire  often 
goes  out,  and  the  meat  freezes.  The  alternate  freezing  and  thawing 
renders  decomposition  more  easy.  The  interior  of  the  sausage  is  gener- 
ally the  most  poisonous  Indeed,  in  many  instances  those  who  have 
eaten  of  the  outer  portions  have  been  unharmed,  while  those  who  have 
eaten  of  the  interior  of  the  same  sausage  have  been  most  seriously  af- 
fected. 

Many  German  writers  state  that  when  a  poisonous  sausage  is  cut,  the 
putrid  portion  has  a  dirty,  grayish-green  color,  and  a  soft,  smeary  con- 
sistency. A  disagreeable  odor,  resembling  that  of  putrid  cheese,  is  per- 
ceptible. The  taste  is  unpleasant,  and  sometimes  there  is  produced  a 
smarting  of  the  mouth  and  throat.  Post-mortem  examination  after 
sausage  poisoning  shows  no  characteristic  lesion.  It  is  generally  stated 
that  putrefaction  sets  in  very  tardily  ;  but  Miiller  shows  that  no  reliance 
can  be  placed  upon  this  point,  and  states  that  out  of  forty-eight  recorded 
alitopsies,  it  was  especially  stated  in  eleven  that  putrefaction  rapidly 
developed.  In  some  instances  there  has  been  noticed  hyperemia  of  the 
stomach  and  intestinal  canal,  but  this  is  by  no  means  constant.  The 
liver  and  brain  have  been  reported  as  congested,  but  this  would  result 
from  the  failure  of  the  heart,  and  would  by  no  means  be  characteristic 
of  poisoning  with  sausage. 


19°  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

Von  Faber,  in  1821,  observed  sixteen  persons,  who  were  made  sick 
by  eating  fresh,  unsmoked  sausage  made  from  the  flesh  of  a  pig  which 
had  suffered  from  an  abscess  on  the  neck.  Five  of  the  patients  died. 
The  symptoms  were  as  follows  :  There  was  constriction  of  the  throat, 
difficulty  in  swallowing,  retching,  vomiting,  colic-like  pains,  vertigo, 
hoarseness,  dimness  of  vision,  and  headache.  Later,  and  in  the  severe 
cases,  there  was  complete  exhaustion,  and  finally  paralysis.  The  eye- 
balls were  retracted  ;  the  pupils  were  sometimes  dilated,  then  contracted  ; 
they  did  not  respond  to  light ;  there  was  paralysis  of  the  upper  lids. 
The  tonsils  were  swollen,  but  not  as  in  tonsillitis.  Liquids  which  were 
not  irritating  could  be  carried  as  far  as  the  oesophagus,  when  they  were 
ejected  from  the  mouth  and  nose  with  coughing.  Solid  foods  could  not 
be  swallowed  at  all.  On  the  back  of  the  tongue  and  in  the  pharynx 
there  was  observed  a  puriform  exudate. 

Obstinate  constipation  existed  in  all,  while  the  sphincter  ani  was  par- 
alyzed. The  breathing  was  easy,  but  all  had  a  croupous  cough.  The 
skin  was  dry.  There  was  incontinence  of  urine.  There  was  no  delir- 
ium, and  the  mind  remained  clear  to  the  last. 

Post-mortem  examinations  were  held  on  four.  The  skin  was  rough 
(u  goose-flesh").  The  abdomen  was  retracted.  The  large  vessels  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  stomach  were  filled  with  black  blood.  The  con- 
tents of  the  stomach  consisted  of  a  reddish-brown,  semi-fluid  substance, 
which  gave  off  a  repugnant,  acid  odor.  In  one  case  the  omentum  was 
found  greatly  congested.  The  large  intestines  were  very  pale,  and  the 
right  ventricle  of  the  heart  was  filled  with  dark,  fluid  blood. 

Schiiz  cites  thirteen  cases  of  poisoning  from  liver  sausage,  in  which 
the  symptoms  differed  from  the  foregoing  in  the  following  respects  : 

(1)  In  only  one  out  of  the  thirteen  was  there  constipation:  all  the 
others  had  numerous,  watery,  typhoid-like  stools. 

(2)  Symptoms  involving  the  sense  of  sight  were  present  in  only  three  ; 
in  all  the  pupils  were  unchanged. 

(3)  The  croupous  cough  was  wholly  wanting ;  though  in  many  there 
was  complete  loss  of  voice.  Difficulty  of  swallowing  was  complained  of 
by  only  one. 

(4)  Delirium  was  marked  in  all ;  and  in  one  the  disturbance  of  the 
mental  faculties  was  prominent  for  several  weeks. 

(5)  There  were  no  deaths. 

(6)  The  time  between  eating  the  sausage  and  the  appearance  of  the 
symptoms  varied  from  eighteen  to  twenty-four  hours,  and  the  duration 
of  the  sickness  from  one  to  four  weeks  ;  though  in  one  case  complete 
recovery  did  not  occur  until  after  two  and  a  half  months. 

The  sausages  were  not  smoked,  and  all  observed  a  garlic  odor,  though 
no  garlic  had  been  added  to  the  meat. 

Tripe  reports  sixty-four  cases.  The  symptoms  came  on  from  three 
and  a  half  to  thirty-six  hours  after  eating.  The  stools  were  frequent, 
watery,  and  of  offensive  odor.  In  some  there  was  delirium.  One  died. 
In  the  fatal  case,  the  hands  and  face  were  cold  and  swollen.     The  pulse 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  191 

was  rapid  and  weak.     The  pupils  were  contracted,  but  responded  to 
light.     The  small  intestine  was  found  inflamed. 

Hedinger  reports  the  cases  of  a  man  and  a  woman  with  the  usual 
symptoms,  but  during  recovery  the  dilatation  of  the  pupils  was  followed 
by  contraction.     Birds  ate  of  this  sausage,  and  were  not  affected. 

Roser  reports  cases  in  which  there  was  found  after  death  abscesses  of 
the  tonsils,  dark,  bluish  appearance  of  the  mucous  membrane  of  the 
pharynx,  larynx,  and  bronchial  tubes,  dark  redness  of  the  fundus  of  the 
stomach,  and  circumscribed  gray,  red,  and  black  spots  on  the  mucous 
membrane  of  the  intestines.  The  liver  was  brittle,  and  the  spleen  en- 
larged. 

Many  theories  concerning  the  nature  of  the  active  principle  of  poison- 
ous sausage  have  been  advanced.  It  was  once  believed  to  consist  of 
pyroligneous  acid,  which  was  supposed  to  be  absorbed  by  the  meat  from 
the  smoke  used  in  curing  it ;  but  soon  it  was  found  that  unsmoked  sau- 
sage might  be  poisonous  also.  Emmert  believed  that  the  active  agent 
was  hydrocyanic  acid,  and  Jager's  theory  supposed  the  presence  of  picric 
acid.  But  these  acids  are  not  found  in  poisonous  sausage,  and,  more- 
over, their  toxicological  effects  are  wholly  unlike  those  observed  in  sau- 
sage poisoning.  As  we  have  elsewhere  seen,  Kerner  believed  that  he 
had  found  the  poisonous  principle  in  a  fatty  acid.  This  theory  was  sup- 
ported by  Dann,  Buchner,  and  Schuman.  Kerner  believed  the  poison 
to  consist  of  either  caseic  or  sebacic  acid,  or  both,  while  Buchner  named 
it  acidum  botulinicum  ;  but  the  acids  of  the  former  proved  to  be  inert, 
and  that  of  the  latter  to  have  no  existence.  Schlossberger  suggested  that 
the  poisonous  substance  is  most  probably  basic  in  character,  and  he  found 
an  odoriferous,  ammoniacal  base,  which  could  not  be  found  in  good  sau- 
sage, and  which  did  not  correspond  to  any  known  amides,  imides,  or 
nitric  bases.  However,  this  substance  has  not  been  obtained  by  any  one 
else,  nor  has  it  been  demonstrated  to  be  poisonous. 

Liebig,  Duflas,  Hirsch,  and  Simon  believed  in  the  presence  of  a  poi- 
sonous ferment.  Van  den  Corput  described  scarcina  botulina,  which 
were  believed  to  constitute  the  active  agent.  Muller,  Hoppe-Seyler,  and 
others  have  found  various  micro-organisms,  and  Virchow,  Eichenberg, 
and  others  have  examined  microscopically  the  blood  of  persons  poisoned 
with  sausage.  Recently  Ehrlich  has  attempted  to  isolate  the  poisonous 
substance  by  employing  Brieger's  method ;  but  he  obtained  only  inert 
substances. 

In  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  to-day  concerning  the  nature  of  putre- 
faction, there  can  scarcely  be  a  doubt  that  the  active  agent  of  poisonous 
sausage  consists  of  an  easily  decomposable  base,  and  we  predict  its  iso- 
lation in  the  very  near  future. 

Poisonous  Ham.  Under  this  head  we  shall  not  discuss  cases  of  poi- 
soning from  trichina  or  other  parasites,  but  shall  refer  only  to  those 
instances  in  which  the  toxic  agent  has  originated  in  putrefactive  changes. 
A  number  of  such  cases  have  been  observed  within  the  past  ten  years, 
but  only  a  few  of  them  have  been  investigated  scientifically.     The  best 


I92  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

known  of  these,  as  well  as  the  most  thoroughly  studied,  is  the  Wellbeck 
poisoning,  which  Dr.  Ballard  investigated  successfully.  In  June,  1880, 
a  large  number  of  persons  attended  a  sale  of  timber  and  machinery  on 
the  estate  of  the  Duke  Of  Portland,  at  Wellbeck.  The  sale  continued  for 
four  days,  and  lunches  were  served  by  the  proprietress  of  a  neighboring 
hotel.  The  refreshments  consisted  of  cold  boiled  ham,  cold  boiled  or 
roasted  beef,  cold  beefsteak  pie,  mustard  and  salt,  bread  and  cheese, 
pickles,  and  Chutnee  sauce.  The  drinks  were  bottled  and  draught  beer, 
spirits,  ginger  beer,  lemonade,  and  water.  Many  were  poisoned  ;  and 
Dr.  Ballard  obtained  the  particulars  of  seventy-two  cases,  among  which 
there  were  four  deaths. 

The  cause  of  this  illness  was  traced  conclusively  to  the  hams  eaten. 
Klein  found  in  the  meat  a  bacillus,  cultures  of  which  were  used  for  inoc- 
ulating animals.  These  inoculations  were  found  generally  to  be  followed 
by  pneumonia.     No  attempt  was  made  to  isolate  a  ptomaine. 

Later,  Ballard  reported  fifteen  cases,  with  symptoms  similar  to  the 
above,  and  with  one  death,  from  eating  baked  pork.  Not  all  of  those 
who  ate  of  this  pork  were  made  sick.  This  might  have  been  due  to 
inequality  in  the  putrefactive  changes  in  different  portions  of  the  meat, 
or  it  may  have  been  due  to  differences  in  temperature  in  various  portions 
of  the  meat  during  the  cooking.  In  the  blood,  pericardial  fluid,  and 
lungs  of  the  fatal  case,  Klein  observed  bacilli  similar  to  those  discovered 
in  the  Wellbeck  inquiry.  Pneumonia  was  produced  by  inoculating 
Guinea-pigs  and  mice  with  these  bacilli. 

Poisonous  Canned  Meats.  Cases  of  poisoning  from  eating  canned 
meats  have  become  quite  frequent.  Although  it  may  be  possible  that  in 
some  instances  the  untoward  effects  result  from  metallic  poisoning,  in  the 
great  majority  of  cases  the  poisonous  principles  are  formed  by  putrefac- 
tive changes.  In  many  instances,  it  is  probable  that  decomposition  be- 
gins after  the  can  is  opened  by  the  consumer.  In  others,  the  canning  is 
carelessly  done,  and  putrefaction  is  far  advanced  before  the  food  reaches 
the  consumer.  In  still  other  instances  the  meat  may  be  taken  from  dis- 
eased animals,  or  it  may  have  undergone  putrefactive  changes  before  the 
canning.  What  is  true  of  canned  meats  is  also  true  of  canned  fruits  and 
vegetables. 

Poisonous  Cheese.  In  1827,  Hiinnefeld  made  some  analyses  of  poi- 
sonous cheese,  and  experimented  with  extracts  upon  the  lower  animals. 
He  accepted  the  ideas  of  Kerner  in  regard  to  poisonous  sausage  in  a 
somewhat  modified  form,  and  thought  the  active  agents  to  be  sebacic  and 
caseic  acids.  About  the  same  time,  Sertiirner,  making  analyses  of  poi- 
sonous cheese  for  Westrumb,  also  traced  the  poisonous  principles,  as  he 
supposed,  to  these  fatty  acids.  We  see  from  this  that  during  the  first 
part  of  the  present  century  the  fatty  acid  theory,  as  it  may  be  called, 
was  generally  accepted. 

In  1S48,  Christison,  after  referring  to  the  work  of  Hiinnefeld  and  Ser- 
tiirner, made  the  following  statement :  "  His  [Hiinnefeld's]  experiments, 
however,  are  not  quite  conclusive  of  the  fact  that  these  fatty  acids  are 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.        '       1 93 

really  the  poisonous  principles,  as  he  has  not  extended  his  experimental 
researches  to  the  caseic  and  sebacic  acids  prepared  in  the  ordinary  way. 
His  views  will  probably  be  altered  and  simplified  if  future  experiments 
should  confirm  the  late  inquiries  of  Braconot,  who  has  stated  that  Proust's 
caseic  acid  is  a  modification  of  the  acetic  acid  combined  with  an  acrid 
oil." 

In  1852,  Schlossberger  made  experiments  with  the  pure  fatty  acids, 
and  demonstrated  their  freedom  from  poisonous  properties.  These  ex- 
periments have  been  verified  repeatedly,  so  that  now  it  is  well  known 
that  all  the  fatty  acids  obtainable  from  cheese  are  devoid  of  poisonous 
properties. 

It  may  be  remarked  here  that  there  is  every  probability  that  the  poison- 
ous substance  was  present  in  the  extracts  obtained  by  the  older  chemists  : 
indeed,  we  may  say  that  this  is  a  certainty,  since  the  administration  of 
these  extracts  to  cats  was,  in  some  instances  at  least,  followed  by  fatal 
results.  The  great  mass  of  these  extracts  consisted  of  fatty  acids,  and  as 
the  chemists  could  find  nothing  else  present,  they  very  naturally  con- 
cluded that  the  fatty  acids  themselves  constituted  the  poisonous  substance. 

Since  the  overthrow  of  the  fatty  acid  theory,  various  conjectures  have 
been  made,  but  none  of  them  are  worthy  of  consideration. 

We  make  the  following  quotations  from  some  of  the  best  authorities, 
who  wrote  during  the  first  half  of  the  present  decade  upon  this  subject : 

Hiller  says, — "  Nothing  definite  is  known  of  the  nature  of  cheese  poi- 
son. Its  solubility  seems  established  from  an  observation  of  Husemann, 
a  case  in  which  the  poison  was  transmitted  from  a  nursing  mother  to  her 
child." 

Husemann  wrote  as  follows:  "  The  older  investigations  of  the  chemi- 
cal nature  of  cheese  poison,  which  led  to  the  belief  of  putrefactive  cheese 
acids  and  other  problematic  substances,  are  void  of  all  trustworthiness  ; 
and  the  discovery  of  the  active  principle  of  poisonous  cheese  may  not  be 
looked  for  in  the  near  future,  on  account  of  proper  animals  for  controlling 
the  experiments  with  the  extracts,  as  dogs  can  eat  large  quantities  of  poi- 
sonous cheese  without  its  producing  any  effect." 

Brieger  stated  in  1885, — "All  kinds  of  conjectures  concerning  the 
nature  of  this  poison  have  been  formed,  but  all  are  even  devoid  of  histor- 
ical interest,  because  they  are  not  based  upon  experimental  investiga- 
tions. My  own  experiments  towards  solving  this  question  have  not 
progressed  very  far." 

In  the  above  quotation,  we  think  that  Brieger  has  hardly  done  justice 
to  the  work  of  Hiinnefeld  and  Sertiirner.  Their  labors  can  hardly  be 
said  to  be  wholly  devoid  of  historical  interest,  and  they  certainly  did  em- 
ploy the  experimental  method  of  inquiry.  We  shall  soon  see  as  to  the 
correctness  of  the  prediction  of  Husemann,  as  given  above. 

In  the  years  1883  and  1884,  there  were  reported  to  the  Michigan  State 
Board  of  Health  about  300  cases  of  cheese  poisoning.  As  a  rule,  the 
first  symptoms  appeared  within  from  two  to  four  hours  after  eating  the 
cheese.     In  a  few  the  symptoms  were  delayed  from  eight  to  ten  hours, 


194  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

and  were  very  slight.  The  attending  physicians  reported  that  the  grav- 
ity of  the  symptoms  varied  with  the  amount  of  cheese  eaten,  but  no  one 
who  ate  of  the  poisonous  cheese  wholly  escaped.  One  physician  reported 
the  following  symptoms:  M  Every  one  who  ate  of  the  cheese  was  taken 
with  vomiting,  at  first  of  a  thin,  watery,  later  a  more  consistent  reddish- 
colored,  substance.  At  the  same  time,  the  patients  suffered  from  diar- 
rhoea with  watery  stools.  Some  complained  of  pain  in  the  region  of  the 
stomach.  At  first,  the  tongue  was  white,  but  later  it  became  red  and 
dry  ;  pulse  was  feeble  and  irregular ;  countenance  pale,  with  marked 
cyanosis.  One  small  boy,  whose  condition  seemed  very  critical,  was 
covered  all  over  his  body  with  bluish  spots." 

Dryness  and  constriction  of  the  throat  were  complained  of  by  all.  In 
a  few  cases  the  vomiting  and  diarrhoea  were  followed  by  marked  ner- 
vous prostration,  and,  in  some,  dilatation  of  the  pupils  was  observed. 

Notwithstanding  the  severity  of  the  symptoms  in  many,  there  was  no 
fatal  termination  among  these  cases,  though  several  deaths  from  cheese 
poisoning  in  other  outbreaks  have  occurred.  Many  of  the  physicians  at 
first  diagnosed  the  cases  from  the  symptoms  as  due  to  arsenical  poison- 
ing, and  on  this  supposition  some  administered  ferric  hydrate.  Others 
gave  alcohol  and  other  stimulants,  and  treated  upon  the  expectant  plan. 

Vaughan,  to  whom  the  cheese  was  sent  for  analysis,  made  the  follow- 
ing report :  "  All  of  these  300  cases  were  caused  by  eating  of  twelve  dif- 
ferent cheeses.  Of  these,  nine  were  made  at  one  factory,  and  one  each 
at  three  other  factories.  Of  each  of  the  twelve  I  received  smaller  or 
larger  pieces.  Of  each  often  I  received  only  small  amounts  ;  of  each  of 
the  other  two  I  received  about  eighteen  killograms.  The  cheese  was  in 
good  condition,  and  there  was  nothing  in  the  taste  or  odor  to  excite  sus- 
picion. However,  from  a  freshly  cut  surface  there  exuded  numerous 
drops  of  a  slightly  opalescent  fluid,  which  reddened  litmus  instantly  and 
intensely.  Although,  as  I  have  stated,  I  could  discern  nothing  peculiar 
in  the  odor,  if  two  samples,  one  of  good  and  the  other  of  poisonous  cheese, 
were  placed  before  a  dog  or  cat,  the  animal  would  invariably  select  the 
good  cheese.  But  if  only  poisonous  cheese  was  offered,  and  the  animal 
was  hungry,  it  would  partake  freely.  A  cat  was  kept  seven  days,  and 
furnished  only  poisonous  cheese  and  water.  It  ate  freely  of  the  cheese, 
and  manifested  no  untoward  symptoms.  After  the  seven  days,  the  ani- 
mal was  etherized,  and  abdominal  section  was  made.  I  predicted,  how- 
ever, in  one  of  my  first  articles  on  poisonous  cheese,  that  the  isolated 
poison  would  affect  the  lower  animals.  As  to  the  truth  of  this  predic- 
tion we  will  see  later. 

"  My  friend  Dr.  Sternberg,  the  eminent  bacteriologist,  found  in  the 
opalescent  drops  above  referred  to  numerous  micrococci.  But  inocula- 
tions of  rabbits  with  these  failed  to  produce  any  results. 

"At  first,  I  made  an  alcoholic  extract  of  the  cheese.  After  the  alcohol 
was  evaporated  in  vacuo  at  a  low  temperature,  a  residue  consisting  mainly 
of  fatty  acids  remained.  I  ate  a  small  bit  of  this  residue,  and  found  that 
it  produced  dryness  of  the  throat,  nausea,  vomiting,  and  diarrhoea.     The 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 95 

mass  of  this  extract  consisted  of  fats  and  fatty  acids,  and  for  some  weeks 
I  endeavored  to  extract  the  poison  from  these  fats,  but  all  attempts  were 
unsuccessful.  I  then  made  an  aqueous  extract  of  the  cheese,  filtered 
this,  and,  drinking  some  of  it,  found  that  it  also  was  poisonous.  But 
after  evaporating  the  aqueous  extract  to  dryness  on  the  water-bath  at 
ioo°,  the  residue  thus  obtained  was  not  poisonous.  From  this  I  ascer- 
tained that  the  poison  was  decomposed  or  volatilized  at  or  below  the 
boiling  point  of  water.  I  then  tried  distillation  at  a  low  temperature ; 
but  by  this  the  poison  seemed  to  be  decomposed. 

k'  Finally,  I  made  the  clear,  filtered  aqueous  extract,  which  was  highly 
acid,  alkaline  with  sodium  hydrate,  agitated  this  with  ether,  removed  the 
ether,  and  allowed  it  to  evaporate  spontaneously.  The  residue  was 
highly  poisonous.  By  resolution  in  water  and  extraction  with  ether,  the 
poison  was  separated  from  foreign  substances.  As  the  ether  took  up 
some  water,  this  residue  consisted  of  an  aqueous  solution  of  the  poison. 
After  this  was  allowed  to  stand  for  some  hours  in  vacuo  over  sulphuric 
acid,  the  poison  separated  in  needle-shaped  crystals.  From  some  sam- 
ples the  poison  crystallized  from  the  first  evaporation  of  the  ether,  and 
without  standing  in  vacuo.  This  happened  only  when  the  cheese  con- 
tained comparatively  a  large  amount  of  the  poison.  Ordinarily,  the 
microscope  was  necessary  to  detect  the  crystalline  shape.  From  sixteen 
kilograms  of  one  cheese  I  obtained  about  0.5  gram  of  the  poison,  and  in 
this  case  the  individual  crystals  were  plainly  visible  to  the  unaided  eye. 
From  the  same  amount  of  another  cheese  I  obtained  only  about  0.1  gram, 
and  the  crystals  in  this  case  were  not  so  large.  I  have  no  idea,  however, 
that  by  the  method  used  all  the  poison  was  separated  from  the  cheese. " 

To  this  ptomaine,  Vaughan  has  given  the  name  tyrotoxicon  {turos, 
cheese,  and  toxikon,  poison). 

During  1887,  Wallace  found  tyrotoxicon  in  two  samples  of  cheese 
which  had  caused  serious  illness.  The  first  of  these  came  from  Jeans- 
ville,  Penn.,  and  the  symptoms  as  reported  to  Wallace  by  Dr.  Doolittle, 
who  had  charge  of  the  cases,  were  as  follows  :  "There  were  at  least  fifty 
persons  poisoned  by  this  cheese.  There  were  also  eight  others  who 
ate  of  the  cheese,  but  felt  no  unpleasant  effects :  whether  this  was  due  to 
personal  idiosyncrasy,  or  to  an  uneven  distribution  of  the  poison  through- 
out the  cheese,  I  am  unable  to  say. 

"  The  majority,  however,  comprising  fifty  or  sixty  persons,  were 
seized  in  from  two  to  four  hours  after  eating  the  cheese  with  vertigo, 
nausea,  vomiting,  and  severe  rigors,  though  varying  in  their  order  of 
appearance  and  in  severity  in  different  cases.  The  vomiting  and  chills 
were  the  most  constant  and  severe  symptoms  in  all  the  cases,  and  were 
soon  followed  by  severe  pain  in  the  epigastric  region,  cramps  in  the  feet 
and  lower  limbs,  purging  and  griping  pain  in  the  bowels,  a  sensation  of 
numbness,  or  pins  and  needles,  especially  in  the  limbs,  and,  lastly,  very 
marked  prostration,  amounting  almost  to  collapse  in  a  few  cases. 

"  The  vomit  at  first  consisted  of  the  contents  of  the  stomach,  and  had 
a  strong  odor  of  cheese  ;  afterwards,  it  consisted  of  mucus,  bile,  and  in 


196  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

three  or  four  of  the  severest  cases  blood  was  mixed  with  the  mucus  in 
small  quantities.  Microscopic  examination  of  the  same  was  not  made, 
but  to  the  eye  it  appeared  as  such.  The  vomiting  and  diarrhoea  lasted 
from  two  to  twelve  hours  ;  the  rigors  and  muscular  cramps,  from  one  to 
two  hours.  The  diarrhoea,  at  first  fecal,  became  later  watery  and  light- 
colored.  No  deaths  occurred,  and  for  the  most  part  the  effects  were 
transient,  and  all  that  remained  on  the  following  day  were  the  prostra- 
tion and  numbness;  the  latter  occurred  in  about  one  half  the  cases,  and 
disappeared  in  from  one  to  three  days. 

"  Children,  as  a  rule,  seemed  to  suffer  less  than  adults,  and,  of  course, 
it  was  not  possible  to  elicit  as  definite  symptoms  from  them.  The  sud- 
denness of  the  attack  was  remarked  by  all,  some  feeling  perfectly  well 
until  the  moment  of  attack.  Nor  did  the  symptoms  seem  to  be  in  pro- 
portion to  the  amount  of  the  cheese  taken.  Some  of  the  severest  cases 
declared  they  had  not  eaten  more  than  a  cubic  inch  of  it.  One  of  the 
severest  cases  was  about  six  and  a  half  months  pregnant,  but  no  inter- 
ference with  pregnancy  occurred.  All  the  cheese  which  caused  the  sick- 
ness came  from  the  same  piece." 

The  second  sample  of  cheese  examined  by  Wallace  came  from  River- 
ton,  N.  J.  This  outbreak  included  a  smaller  number  of  persons,  all  of 
whom  recovered. 

Still  more  recently  Wolf  has  detected  tyrotoxicon  in  cheese  which  poi- 
soned several  persons  at  Shamokin,  Penn.  The  pores  of  this  cheese 
were  found  filled  with  a  grayish-green  fungoid  growth,  though  it  is  not 
supposed  that  this  fungus  was  connected  in  any  way  with  the  poisonous 
nature  of  the  cheese.  Tests  were  made  for  mineral  poisons  with  nega- 
tive results,  after  which  tyrotoxicon  was  recognized  both  by  chemical 
and  physiological  tests.  u  A  few  drops  of  the  liquid  (extract)  placed  on 
the  tongue  of  a  young  kitten  produced  prompt  emesis  and  numerous 
watery  dejections,  with  evident  depression  and  malaise  of  the  animal. 
A  larger  cat  was  similarly  affected  by  it,  though  the  depression  and 
malaise  were  not  so  marked  nor  so  long  continued." 

Cheese  poisoning  caused  the  death  of  several  children  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Heiligenstadt  in  1879,  an<^  there  were  many  fatal  cases  from  the 
same  cause  in  Pyrmont  in  1878.  Unfortunately,  we  have  not  been  able 
to  find  any  detailed  account  of  either  the  symptoms  or  the  post-mortem 
appearances  in  these  cases. 

Poisonous  Milk.  In  18S5,  Vaughan  found  tyrotoxicon  in  some  milk 
which  had  stood  in  a  well  stoppered  bottle  for  about  six  months.  It 
was  presumed  that  this  milk  was,  when  first  obtained,  normal  in  com- 
position ;  but  since  this  was  not  known  with  certainty,  the  following 
experiments  were  made  :  Several  gallon-bottles  were  filled  with  normal 
milk,  tightly  closed  with  glass  stoppers,  and  allowed  to  stand  at  the  ordi- 
nary temperature  of  the  room.  From  time  to  time  a  bottle  was  opened, 
and  the  test  for  tyrotoxicon  was  made.  These  tests  were  followed  by 
negative  results  until  about  three  months  after  the  experiment  was  begun. 
Then  the  poison  was  obtained  from  one  of  the  bottles.     The  coagulated 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  197 

milk  was  filtered  through  paper.  The  filtrate,  which  was  colorless  and 
decidedly  acid  in  reaction,  was  rendered  feebly  alkaline  by  the  addition 
of  potassium  hydrate,  and  agitated  with  ether.  After  separation,  the 
ethereal  layer  was  removed  with  a  pipette,  passed  through  a  dry  filter 
paper  in  order  to  remove  a  flocculent,  white  substance  which  floated  in 
it,  and  then  allowed  to  evaporate  spontaneously.  If  necessary,  this  resi- 
due was  dissolved  in  water,  and  again  extracted  with  ether.  As  the 
ether  takes  up  some  water,  there  is  usually  enough  of  the  latter  left,  after 
the  spontaneous  evaporation  of  the  ether,  to  hold  the  poison  in  solution, 
and  in  order  to  obtain  the  crystals  this  aqueous  solution  must  be  allowed 
to  stand  for  some  hours  in  vacuo  over  sulphuric  acid. 

From  a  half  gallon  of  the  milk  there  was  obtained  quite  a  concentrated 
aqueous  solution  of  the  poison  after  the  spontaneous  evaporation  of  the 
ether.  Ten  drops  of  this  solution  placed  in  the  mouth  of  a  small  dog, 
three  weeks  old,  caused  within  a  few  minutes  frothing  at  the  mouth, 
retching,  the  vomiting  of  frothy  fluid,  muscular  spasm  over  the  abdomen, 
and  after  some  hours  watery  stools.  The  next  day  the  dog  seemed  to 
have  partially  recovered,  but  was  unable  to  retain  any  food.  This  con- 
dition continuing  for  two  or  three  days,  the  animal  was  killed  with  chlo- 
roform.    No  examination  of  the  stomach  was  made. 

In  1S86,  Newton  and  Wallace  obtained  tyrotoxicon  from  milk,  and 
studied  the  conditions  under  which  it  forms.  Their  report  is  of  so  much 
value  that  the  greater  part  of  it  is  herewith  inserted. 

"On  August  7th,  twenty-four  persons  at  one  of  the  hotels  at  Long 
Branch  were  taken  ill  soon  after  supper.  At  another  hotel,  on  the  same 
evening,  nineteen  persons  were  seized  with  the  same  form  of  sickness. 
From  one  to  four  hours  elapsed  between  the  meal  and  the  first  symp- 
toms. The  symptoms  noticed  were  those  of  gastro-intestinal  irritation, 
similar  to  poisoning  by  any  irritating  material, — that  is,  nausea,  vomit- 
ing, cramps,  and  collapse  ;  a  few  had  diarrhoea.  Dryness  of  the  throat 
and  a  burning  sensation  in  oesophagus  were  prominent  symptoms. 

"While  the  cause  of  the  sickness  was  being  sought  for,  and  one 
week  after  the  first  series  of  cases,  thirty  persons  at  another  hotel 
were  taken  ill  with  precisely  the  same  symptoms  as  noticed  in  the  first 
outbreak. 

"When  the  news  of  the  outbreak  was  published,  one  of  us  immedi- 
ately set  to  work,  under  the  authority  of  the  state  board  of  health,  to 
ascertain  the  cause  of  the  illness.  The  course  of  the  investigation  was 
about  as  follows  : 

"  The  character  of  the  illness  indicated,  of  course,  that  some  article  of 
food  was  the  cause,  and  the  first  part  of  our  task  was  to  single  out  the 
one  substance  that  seemed  at  fault.  The  cooking  utensils  were  also 
suspected,  because  unclean  copper  vessels  have  often  caused  irritant 
poisoning.  Articles  of  food,  such  as  lobsters,  crabs,  blue  fish,  and  Span- 
ish mackerel,  all  of  which  at  times,  and  with  some  persons  very  suscep- 
tible to  gastric  irritation,  have  produced  toxic  symptoms,  were  looked 
for  ;  but  it  was  found  that  none  of  these  had  been  eaten  at  the  time  of  the 


198  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

outbreak.  The  cooking  vessels  were  examined,  and  all  found  clean  and 
bright,  and  no  evidence  of  corrosion  was  presented. 

44  Further  inquiry  revealed  the  fact  that  all  who  had  been  taken  ill  had 
used  milk  in  greater  or  less  quantities,. and  that  i:>ersons  who  had  not 
partaken  of  milk  escaped  entirely.  Corroborative  of  this  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  those  who  had  used  milk  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  food 
were  violently  ill.  This  was  prominently  noticed  in  the  cases  of  infants 
fed  from  the  bottle,  when  nothing  but  uncooked  milk  was  used.  In  one 
case  an  adult  drank  about  a  quart  of  the  milk,  and  was  almost  immedi- 
ately seized  with  violent  vomiting,  followed  by  diarrhoea,  and  this  by 
collapse.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  we  were  able  to  eliminate  all  other  arti- 
cles of  food,  and  to  decide  that  the  milk  was  the  sole  cause  of  the  out- 
break. 

4v  Having  been  able  to  determine  this,  the  next  step  was  to  discover 
why  that  article  should,  in  these  cases,  cause  so  serious  a  form  of  sick- 
ness. 

44  The  probable  causes  which  we  were  to  investigate  were  outlined  as 
follows:  (1)  Some  chemical  substance,  such  as  borax,  boric  acid,  sali- 
cylic acid,  sodium  bicarbonate,  sodium  sulphate,  added  to  preserve  the 
milk  or  to  correct  acidity  ;  (2)  the  use  of  polluted  water,  as  an  adulter- 
ant ;  (3)  some  poisonous  material  accidentally  present  in  the  milk  ;  (4) 
the  use  of  milk  from  diseased  cattle  ;  (5)  improper  feeding  of  the  cattle  ; 
(6)  the  improper  care  of  the  milk  ;  (7)  the  development  in  the  milk  of 
some  ferment  or  ptomaine,  such  as  tyrotoxicon. 

"At  the  time  of  the  first  outbreak  we  were  unable,  unfortunately,  to 
obtain  any  of  the  noxious  milk,  as  that  unconsumed  had  been  destroyed  ; 
but  at  the  second  outbreak  a  liberal  quantity  was  procured. 

11  It  was  soon  ascertained  that  one  dealer  had  supplied  all  the  milk 
used  at  the  three  hotels  where  the  cases  of  sickness  had  occurred.  His 
name  and  address  having  been  obtained,  the  next  step  in  the  investiga- 
tion was  to  inspect  all  the  farms,  and  the  cattle  thereon,  from  which  the 
milk  was  taken.  We  also  learned  that  two  deliveries  at  the  hotels  were 
made  daily,  one  in  the  morning  and  one  in  the  evening ;  that  the  milk 
supplied  at  night  was  the  sole  cause  of  sickness,  and  that  the  milk  from 
but  one  of  the  farms  was  at  fault.  The  cows  on  this  farm  were  found  to 
be  in  good  health,  and,  besides  being  at  pasture,  were  well  fed  with  bran, 
middlings,  and  corn  meal. 

44  So  far,  we  had  been  able  to  eliminate,  as  causes,  diseased  cattle  and 
improper  feeding,  and  we  were  then  compelled  to  consider  the  other 
possible  sources  of  the  toxic  material. 

44  While  the  inspection  of  the  farms  was  being  made,  the  analysis  of 
the  milk  was  in  progress.  The  results  of  this  showed  that  no  chemical 
substance  had  been  added  to  the  milk  ;  that  it  was  of  average  composi- 
tion ;  that  no  polluted  water  had  been  used  as  a  dilutent ;  and  that  no 
poisonous  metals  were  present.  This  result  left  us  nothing  to  consider 
but  two  probable  causes, — improper  care  of  the  milk,  and  the  presence  of 
a  ferment. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  1 99 

"As  to  the  former,  we  soon  learned  much.  The  cows  were  mrlked  at 
the  unusual  and  abnormal  hours  of  midnight  and  noon  ;  and  the  noon's 
milking — that  which  alone  was  followed  by  illness — was  placed  while 
hot  in  the  cans,  and  then,  without  any  attempt  at  cooling,  carted  eight 
miles  during  the  warmest  part  of  the  day  in  a  very  hot  month. 

"  This  practice  seemed  to  us  sufficient  to  make  the  milk  unpalatable, 
if  not  injurious;  for  it  is  well  known  that  when  fresh  milk  is  closed  up 
in  a  tight  vessel,  and  then  deposited  in  a  warm  place,  a  very  disagreeable 
odor  and  taste  are  developed.  Old  dairymen  speak  of  the  animal  heat  as 
an  entity,  tl]e  removal  of  which  is  necessary,  in  order  that  the  milk  shall 
keep  well  and  have  a  pleasant  taste.  While  we  do  not  give  this  thing  a 
name,  we  are  fully  convinced  that  milk  should  be  thoroughly  cured,  by 
proper  chilling  and  aeration,  before  it  is  transported  any  distance,  or  sold 
for  consumption  in  towns  or  cities. 

"The  results  of  our  inquiry  having  revealed  so  much,  we  next  at- 
tempted to  isolate  some  substance  from  the  poisonous  milk,  in  order  that 
the  proof  might  be  more  evident.  A  quantity  of  the  milk  that  had 
caused  sickness  in  the  second  outbreak  was  allowed  to  coagulate,  was 
then  thrown  on  a  coarse  filter,  and  the  filtrate  collected.  This  latter 
was  highly  acid,  and  was  made  slightly  alkaline  by  the  addition  of  potas- 
sium hydrate.  This  alkaline  filtrate  was  now  agitated  with  an  equal 
volume  of  pure,  dry  ether,  and  allowed  to  stand  for  several  hours,  when 
the  ethereal  layer  was  drawn  off*  by  means  of  a  pipette.  Fresh  ether  was 
added  to  the  residuum,  then  agitated,  and,  when  separated,  was  drawn 
oft*  and  added  to  the  first  ethereal  extract.  This  was  now  allowed  to 
evaporate  spontaneously,  and  the  residue,  which  seemed  to  contain  a 
small  amount  of  fat,  was  treated  with  distilled  water  and  filtered,  the 
filtrate  treated  with  ether,  the  ethereal  solution  drawn  off  and  allowed  to 
evaporate,  when  we  obtained  a  mass  of  needle-shaped  crystals.  This 
crystalline  substance  gave  a  blue  color  with  potassium  ferricyanide  and 
ferric  chloride,  and  reduced  iodic  acid.  The  crystals,  when  placed  on 
the  tongue,  gave  a  burning  sensation.  A  portion  of  the  crystals  was 
mixed  with  milk  and  fed  to  a  cat,  when,  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour, 
the  animal  was  seized  with  retching  and  vomiting,  and  was  soon  in  a 
condition  of  collapse,  from  which  it  recovered  in  a  few  hours. 

"  We  are  justified  in  assuming,  after  weighing  well  all  the  facts  ascer- 
tained in  the  investigation,  that  the  sickness  at  Long  Branch  was  caused 
by  poisonous  milk,  and  that  the  toxic  material  was  tyrotoxicon. 

44  The  production  of  this  substance  was  no  doubt  due  to  the  improper 
management  of  the  milk, — that  is,  too  long  a  time  was  allowed  to  elapse 
between  the  milking  and  the  cooling  of  the  milk,  the  latter  not  being 
attended  to  until  the  milk  was  delivered  to  the  hotel ;  whereas,  if  the 
milk  had  been  cooled  immediately  after  it  was  drawn  from  the  cows,  fer- 
mentation would  not  have  ensued,  and  the  resulting  material,  tyrotoxi- 
con, would  not  have  been  produced." 

In  the  same  year  Shearer  found  the  same  poison  in  the  milk  used  by,  and 
in  the  vomited  matter  of  persons  made  sick  at,  a  hotel  at  Corning,  Iowa. 


200  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

In  1887,  Firth,  an  English  army  surgeon  stationed  in  India,  reported 
an  outbreak  of  milk  poisoning  among  the  soldiers  of  his  garrison.  From 
the  milk  he  separated,  by  Vaughan's  method,  tyrotoxicon.  He  also  ob- 
tained tyrotoxicon  from  milk  which  had  been  kept  for  some  months  in 
stoppered  bottles,  as  had  been  previously  done  by  Vaughan. 

In  1887,  Mesic  and  Vaughan  observed  four  cases  of  milk  poisoning, 
three  of  which  terminated  fatally  ;  and  Novy  and  Vaughan  obtained 
tyrotoxicon  from  the  milk,  and  from  the  contents  of  the  intestine  in  one 
of  the  fatal  cases.  The  report  of  these  cases  may  be  found  in  the  first 
quarterly  report  of  the  Michigan  State  Laboratory  of  Hygiene,  or  in  the 
Medical  News  of  Dec.  3,  1S87. 

Poisonous  Ice- Cr earn.  In  1886  Vaughan  and  Novy  obtained  tyrotox- 
icon from  a  cream  which  had  seriously  affected  many  persons  at  Lawton, 
Mich.  Vanilla  had  been  used  for  flavoring,  and  it  was  supposed  that 
the  ill  effects  were  due  to  the  flavoring.  This  belief  was  strengthened 
by  the  fact  that  a  portion  of  the  custard  was  flavored  with  lemon,  and  the 
lemon  cream  did  not  affect  any  one  unpleasantly.  Fortunately  some  of 
the  vanilla  extract  remained  in  the  bottle  from  which  the  flavoring  for 
the  ice-cream  had  been  taken,  and  this  was  forwarded  to  the  chemists. 
Each  of  the  experimenters  took  at  first  thirty  drops  of  the  vanilla  extract, 
and  no  ill  effects  following  this,  one  of  them  took  two  teaspoonfuls  more, 
with  no  results.  This  proved  the  non-poisonous  nature  of  the  vanilla 
more  satisfactorily  than  could  have  been  done  by  a  chemical  analysis. 

Later  it  was  found  that  that  portion  of  the  custard  which  had  been 
flavored  with  lemon  was  frozen  immediately,  while  that  portion  which 
was  flavored  with  vanilla,  and  which  proved  to  be  poisonous,  was 
allowed  to  stand  for  some  hours  in  a  building  which  is  described  as  fol- 
lows by  a  resident  of  the  village  : 

14  The  cream  was  frozen  in  the  back  end  of  an  old  wooden  building  on 
Main  street.  It  is  surrounded  by  shade,  has  no  underpinning,  and  the 
sills  have  settled  into  the  ground.  There  are  no  eve-troughs,  and  all  the 
water  falling  from  the  roof  runs  under  the  building,  the  streets  on  two 
sides  having  been  raised  since  the  construction  of  the  house.  The  build- 
ing had  been  unoccupied  for  a  number  of  months,  consequently  has  had 
no  ventilation,  and,  what  is  worse,  the  back  end  (where  the  cream  was 
frozen)  was  last  used  as  a  meat-market.  The  cream  which  was  affected 
was  that  portion  last  frozen  ;  consequently  it  stood  in  an  atmosphere 
more  like  that  of  a  privy  vault  for  upward  of  an  hour  and  a  half  or  two 
hours  before  being  frozen." 

The  symptoms  observed  in  these  cases  were  identical  with  those  pro- 
duced by  poisonous  cheese  and  milk. 

The  tyrotoxicon  obtained  from  this  cream  was  administered  to  a  kitten 
about  two  months  old.  Within  ten  minutes  the  cat  began  to  retch,  and 
soon  it  vomited.  This  retching  and  vomiting  continued  for  two  hours, 
during  which  the  animal  was  under  observation,  and  the  next  morning 
it  was  observed  that  the  animal  had  passed  several  watery  stools.  After 
this,  although  the  animal  could  walk  about  the  room,  it  was  unable  to 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  201 

retain  any  food.  Several  times  it  was  observed  to  lap  a  little  milk,  but 
on  doing  so  it  would  immediately  begin  to  retch  and  vomit.  Even  cold 
water  produced  this  effect.  This  condition  continuing,  after  three  days 
the  animal  was  placed  under  ether  and  its  abdominal  organs  examined. 
Marked  inflammation  of  the  stomach  was  supposed  to  be  indicated  by 
the  symptoms,  but  the  examination  revealed  the  stomach  and  small  intes- 
tines filled  with  a  frothy,  serous  fluid  such  as  had  formed  a  portion  of  the 
vomited  matter,  and  the  mucous  membrane  very  white  and  soft.  There 
was  not  the  slightest  redness  anywhere.  The  liver  and  other  abdominal 
organs  seemed  normal. 

A  bit  of  the  solid  portion  of  this  cream  was  added  to  some  normal 
milk,  which  by  the  addition  of  eggs  and  sugar  was  made  into  a  custard. 
The  custard  was  allowed  to  stand  for  three  hours  in  a  warm  room,  after 
which  it  was  kept  in  an  ice-box  until  submitted  to  chemical  analysis.  In 
this  tyrotoxicon  was  also  formed. 

Tyrotoxicon  has  since  been  formed  in  some  chocolate  cream  which 
poisoned  persons  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  and  in  lemon  cream  from  Amboy, 
Ohio. 

Shearer  reports  the  finding  of  tyrotoxicon  in  both  vanilla  and  lemon 
ice-cream  which  made  many  sick  at  Corning,  Iowa. 

Allaben  reports  poisoning  with  lemon  cream,  and  makes  the  following 
interesting  statements  concerning  it : 

"I  would  first  say,  July  4,  5,  and  6  were  very  warm.  Monday  evening, 
July  5,  the  custards  were  cooked,  made  from  Monday  morning's  cream 
and  Monday  night's  milk,  boiled  in  a  tin  pan  that  had  the  bright  tin 
worn  off.  It  was  noticed  that  one  pan  of  cream  was  not  sweet,  but 
thinking  it  would  make  no  difference,  it  was  used  ;  the  freezers  were 
thoroughly  cleaned  and  scalded,  and  the  custards  put  in  the  same  even- 
ing while  hot;  the  cream  was  frozen  Tuesday  afternoon,  having  stood 
in  the  freezers  since  the  night  before,  when  the  weather  was  very 
warm." 

No  analysis  of  this  cream  was  made,  but  the  symptoms  agree  with 
those  of  tyrotoxicon  poisoning. 

Wellford  observed  several  cases  of  poisoning  from  custard  flavored  witn 
lemon.  These  custards  were  tested  for  mineral  poisons  with  negative 
results. 

Morrow  has  put  forth  the  claim  that  ice-cream  poisoning  is  solely  due 
to  vanillin,  which  is,  according  to  his  statement,  used  instead  of  vanilla 
extract,  but  the  facts  stated  above  concerning  poisoning  with  creams  in 
which  other  flavors  had  been  used  contradicts  this  claim.  Moreover, 
Gibson  has  shown  the  utter  absurdity  of  the  claim,  inasmuch  as  he  calcu- 
lates, from  the  amount  of  flavoring  ordinarily  used  in  ice-cream,  that  in 
order  to  produce  the  toxic  symptoms  observed,  the  flavoring  must  be  ten 
times  as  poisonous  as  pure  strychnia. 

Bartley  suggests  that  poisonous  cream  sometimes  results  from  the  use 
in  its  manufacture  of  poor  or  putrid  gelatine.  This  is  highly  probable, 
and  with  the  gelatine  the  germs  of  putrefaction  may  be  added  to  the  milk. 


202  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

THE    PTOMAINES    OF    CERTAIN    DISEASES. 

Anthrax.  Anthrax  has  probably  been  more  thoroughly  studied  than 
any  other  infectious  disease.  Kausch  taught  that  anthrax  has  its  origin 
in  paralysis  of  the  nerves  of  respiration.  Delafond  thought  that  the  cause 
of  the  disease  was  to  be  found  in  the  influence  of  the  chemical  condition 
of  the  soil  affecting  the  food  of  animals  and  leading  to  abnormal  nutri- 
tion. The  investigations  of  Gerlach  in  18S5  demonstrated  the  contagious 
nature  of  the  disease,  which  was  emphasized  by  Heusinger  in  1850,  and 
accepted  by  Virchow  in  1855.  However,  in  1849  Pollender  found 
numerous  rod-like  micro-organisms  in  the  blood  of  animals  with  the 
disease.  This  observation  was  confirmed  by  Brauell,  who  produced 
the  disease  in  healthy  animals  by  inoculation  with  matter  taken  from  a 
pustule  on  a  sick  horse.  Attempts  were  made  to  ridicule  the  idea  that 
these  germs  might  be  the  cause  of  the  disease,  and  it  was  said  that  the 
bodies  seen  were  only  fine  pieces  of  fibrine,  or  blood-crystals.  But  in 
1863  Davaine  showed  that  these  little  bodies  must  have  some  casual 
relation  to  the  disease,  inasmuch  as  his  experiments  proved  that  inocula- 
tion of  healthy  animals  with  the  blood  of  animals  sick  with  anthrax  pro- 
duced the  disease  only  when  the  blood  contained  these  organisms.  He 
also  demonstrated  beyond  any  question  that  these  bodies  are  bacteria. 
The  conclusions  of  this  investigator  were  earnestly  combated  by  many. 
But  Pasteur,  Koch,  Bollinger,  DeBarry,  and  others  studied  the  mor- 
phology and  life-history  of  these  organisms,  and  then  came  the  brilliant 
results  of  Pasteur  and  Koch  in  securing  protection  against  the  disease  by 
the  vaccination  of  healthy  animals  with  the  modified  germ.  Now,  the 
bacillus  anthracis  is  known  in  every  bacteriological  laboratory,  and  by 
inoculation  with  it  the  disease  is  communicated  at  will  to  animals.  But 
here  the  question  arose,  How  do  these  bacilli  produce  anthrax? — and  in 
answer  to  this  question  various  theories  were  proposed.  Recently  Honk 
has  given  us  the  true  answer  by  obtaining  from  pure  cultures  of  the 
bacillus  anthracis  a  ptomaine  which,  when  injected  under  the  skin  of 
animals,  produces  the  symptoms  of  the  disease,  followed  by  death.  The 
anthrax  ptomaine  causes  at  first  increased  respiration  and  action  of  the 
heart,  then  the  respirations  become  deep,  slow,  and  irregular.  The  tem- 
perature falls  below  the  normal.  The  pupils  are  dilated,  and  a  bloody 
diarrhoea  sets  in.  On  section,  the  heart  is  found  contracted,  the  blood 
dark,  and  ecchymoses  were  observed  on  the  pericardium  and  peri- 
tonaeum. 

Cholera.  Although  the  ptomaine  of  cholera  has  not  been  isolated, 
there  are  reasons  for  believing  that  the  comma  bacillus  of  Koch  is  one  of 
the  most  active,  chemically,  of  all  known  pathogenic  micro-organisms. 
In  the  first  place  Bitter  has  shown  that  this  germ  produces  in  meat- 
peptone  cultures  a  peptonizing  ferment,  which  remains  active  after  the 
organism  has  been  destroyed.  It  was  shown  that  this  ferment,  like  sim- 
ilar chemical  ferments,  would  convert  an  indefinite  amount  of  gelatine  or 
coagulated   albumen   into   peptone.     It  was  also  demonstrated  that  this 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  203 

ferment  was  more  active  in  alkaline  than  in  acid  solutions,  thus  proving* 
that  it  resembles  pancreatine  more  than  pepsine.  This  resemblance  to 
pancreatine  was  further  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  certain  chemicals, 
such  as  sodium  carbonate  and  sodium  salicylate  increased  its  activity. 

That  a  diastatic  ferment  is  also  produced  by  the  growth  of  this  bacillus 
was  indicated  by  the  development  of  an  acid  in  nutrient  solutions  con- 
taining starch  paste.  However,  all  attempts  to  isolate  the  diastatic  fer- 
ment were  unsuccessful.  A  temperature  of  6o°  destroys  or  greatly 
decreases  the  activity  of  ptyaline,  and  this  seems  to  be  also  true  of  the 
diastatic  ferment  produced  by  the  comma  bacillus.  But  the  formation 
of  an  acid  from  the  starch  presupposes  that  the  starch  is  first  converted 
into  a  soluble  form. 

[It  is  proper  to  mention  here  that  Sternberg,  independently  of  the 
experiments  of  Bitter,  has  shown  that  a  number  of  micro-organisms  are 
capable  of  producing  a  peptonizing  ferment  which  remains  active  after 
destroying  the  germs  by  raising  the  temperature  of  the  culture  to  8o°. 
Sternberg  experimented  with  bacillus  prodigiosus,  b.  indicus,  b.  pyocy- 
anus,  and  Finkler-Prior's  spirillum.  It  is  probable  that  all  germs  which 
liquefv  gelatine  do  so  by  the  production  of  this  ferment.] 

In  order  to  investigate  the  digestive  action  of  bacteria,  Rietsch  precip- 
itated peptone  cultures  of  the  chdlera  bacillus,  typhoid  bacillus,  bacillus 
of  consumption,  and  staphylococcus  aureus  with  alcohol,  collected, 
washed,  dried,  and  weighed  the  precipitates,  and  tested  their  action  upon 
coagulated  fibrin.  The  powders  thus  obtained  from  cultures  of  the 
typhoid  and  consumption  bacillus  had  no  digestive  action  in  either 
neutral  or  alkaline  fluids.  On  the  other  hand,  the  precipitates  obtained 
from  the  cultures  of  the  cholera  bacillus  and  the  staphylococcus  aureus, 
the  latter  less  energetically  than  the  former,  dissolved  the  fibrine,  and  the 
solutions  gave  reactions  for  peptones. 

Rietsch  believes  that  the  destructive  changes  observed  in  the  intestines 
in  cholera  are  due  to  the  action  of  this  peptonizing  ferment. 

Cantani  injected  sterilized  cultures  of  the  comma  bacillus  into  the 
peritonael  cavities  of  small  dogs,  and  observed,  after  from  one  quarter  to 
one  half  hour,  the  following  symptoms:  great  weakness,  tremor  of  the 
muscles,  drooping  of  the  head,  prostration,  convulsive  contractions  of 
the  posterior  extremities,  repeated  vomiting,  and  cold  head  and  extrem- 
ities. After  two  hours  these  symptoms  began  to  abate,  and  after  twenty- 
four  hours  the  recovery  seemed  complete.  Control  experiments  with  the 
same  amounts  of  uninfected  beef  tea  were  made.  These  cultures  were 
three  days  old  when  sterilized.  Older  cultures  seemed  less  poisonous, 
and  a  high  or  prolonged  heat  in  sterilization  decreased  the  toxicity  of  the 
fluid.  From  these  facts  Cantani  concludes  that  the  poisonous  principle 
is  volatile.  The  cultures  in  bouillon  containing  peptone  were  more 
poisonous  than  those  in  the  simple  bouillon. 

Klebs  has  attempted  to  answer  experimentally  the  question,  In  what 
way  does  the  cholera  germ  prove  harmful?  Cultures  of  the  bacillus  in 
fish  preparations  were  acidified,   filtered,  the  filtrate  evaporated  on  the 


204  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

water-bath,  the  residue  taken  up  with  alcohol,  and  precipitated  with 
platinum  chloride.  The  platinum  was  removed  with  hydrogen  sulphide, 
and  the  crystalline  residue  obtained  on  evaporation  was  dissolved  in 
water  and  intravenously  injected  into  rabbits.  Muscular  contractions 
were  induced.  Death  followed  in  one  animal,  which  in  addition  to  the 
above  treatment  received  an  injection  of  a  non-sterilized  culture.  In  this 
case  there  was  observed  an  extensive  calcification  of  the  epithelium  of 
the  uriniferous  tubules.  Klebs  believes  this  change  in  the  kidney  to  be 
induced  by  the  chemical  poison,  and  from  this  standpoint  he  explains 
the  symptoms  of  cholera  as  follows:  The  cycmosis  is  a  consequence  of 
arterial  contraction,  the  first  effect  of  the  poison.  The  muscular  con- 
tractions also  result  from  the  action  of  the  poison.  The  serous  exudate 
into  the  intestines  follows  upon  epithelial  necrosis.  Anuria  and  the 
subsequent  severe  symptoms  appear  when  the  formation  and  absorption 
of  the  poison  become  greatest. 

Hueppe  states  that  the  severe  symptoms  of  cholera  can  be  explained 
only  on  the  supposition  that  the  bacilli  produce  a  chemical  poison,  and 
that  this  poison  resembles  muscarine  in  its  action. 

Bujwid  found  that  on  the  addition  of  from  five  to  ten  per  cent,  of  hydro- 
chloric acid  to  bouillon  cultures  of  the  cholera  bacillus,  there  was  devel- 
oped after  a  few  minutes  a  rose-violet  coloration  which  increased  during 
the  next  half  hour,  and  in  a  bright  light  showed  a  brownish  shade.  The 
coloration  is  more  marked  if  the  culture  is  kept  at  about  370.  In  impure 
cultures  this  reaction  does  not  occur.  The  Finkler-Prior  comma  bacil- 
lus cultures  give  after  a  longer  time  a  similar,  but  more  of  a  brownish, 
coloration.  Cultures  of  many  other  bacilli  were  tried,  and  failed  to  give 
the  reaction. 

Brieger  found  that  this  color  is  due  to  an  indol  derivative.  In  cholera 
cultures  on  albumens  he  obtained  indol  by  distillation  with  acetic  acid. 

Tetanus.  In  1884,  Nicolaier,  by  inoculating  140  animals  with  earth 
taken  from  different  places  produced  symptoms  of  tetanus  in  69  of  them. 
In  the  pus  which  formed  at  the  point  of  inoculation  he  found  micrococci 
-and  bacilli.  Among  the  latter  was  one  which  was  somewhat  longer  and 
slightly  thicker  than  the  bacillus  of  mouse-septicaemia.  In  the  subcuta- 
neous cellular  tissue  he  found  this  bacillus  alone,  but  could  not  detect  it 
in  the  blood,  muscles,  or  nerves.  Heating  the  soil  for  an  hour  rendered 
the  inoculation  with  it  harmless.  In  culture,  Nicolaier  was  unable  to 
separate  this  bacillus  from  other  germs,  but  inoculations  with  mixed 
cultures  produced  tetanus.  In  the  same  year  Carle  and  Ratone  induced 
tetanus  in  lower  animals  by  inoculations  with  matter  taken  from  a  pus- 
tule on  a  man  just  dead  from  tetanus.  In  18S6  Rosenbach  made  suc- 
cessful inoculations  on  animals  with  matter  taken  from  a  man  who  had 
died  from  tetanus  consequent  upon  gangrene  from  frozen  feet.  With 
bits  of  skin  taken  from  near  the  line  of  demarcation  he  inoculated  two 
Guinea  pigs  on  the  thigh.  Tetanic  symptoms  set  in  within  twelve  hours, 
and  one  animal  died  within  eighteen  and  the  other  within  twenty-four 
hours.     The  symptoms  corresponded  exactly  with  those  observed  in  the 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  205 

"earth  tetanus"  of  Nicolaier,  and  the  same  bacillus  was  found.  With 
mixed  cultures  of  this  Rosenbach  was  also  able  to  cause  death  by  tetanus 
in  animals.  Beumer  had  under  observation  a  man  who  died  from  lock- 
jaw following  the  sticking  of  a  splinter  of  wood  under  his  finger-nail. 
Inoculations  of  mice  and  rabbits  with  some  of  the  dirt  found  on  the 
wood  led  to  tetanus.  The  same  observer  saw  a  boy  die  from  this  disease 
following  an  injury  to  the  foot  from  a  sharp  piece  of  stone.  White  mice 
inoculated  with  matter  from  the  wound  and  those  inoculated  with  dirt 
taken  from  the  boy's  play-ground  died  of  tetanus.  The  bacillus  of  Nico- 
laier was  again  detected.  Giordano  reports  the  case  of  a  man  who  fell 
and  sustained  a  complicated  fracture  of  the  arm.  He  remained  on  the 
ground  for  some  hours,  and  when  assistance  came  the  muscles  and  skin 
were  found  torn  and  the  wounds  filled  with  dirt.  On  the  fifth  day  he 
showed  symptoms  of  tetanus,  from  which  he  died  on  the  eighth  day. 
Inoculations  and  examinations  for  the  bacillus  were  again  successful. 
Terrari  also  made  successful  inoculations  with  the  blood  taken  during 
life  from  a  woman  with  tetanus  after  an  ovariotomy.  Hocksinger  has 
confirmed  the  above-mentioned  observations  by  carefully  conducted 
experiments,  the  material  for  which  was  furnished  by  a  case  of  tetanus 
arising  from  a  very  slight  injury  to  the  hand,  the  wound  being  filled  with 
dirt.  Finally,  Shakespeare  has  succeeded  in  inducing  tetanus  in  rabbits 
by  inoculating  them  with  matter  taken  from  the  medulla  of  a  horse  and  of 
a  mule,  both  of  which  had  died  from  traumatic  tetanus.  These  uniform 
observations  leave  no  room  to  doubt  that  tetanus  is,  often  at  least,  due  to 
a  germ  which  exists  in  many  places  in  the  soil,  and  that  the  disease  is 
transmissible  by  inoculation. 

The  question  now  arises,  How  do  these  germs  induce  tetanus?  Brieger 
has  given  us  an  answer,  inasmuch  as  he  has  obtained  in  cultures  of  the 
germ  of  Nicolaier  and  Rosenbach  four  poisonous  substances.  The  first, 
tetanine,  which  rapidly  decomposes  in  acid  solutions,  but  is  stable  in 
alkaline  solutions,  produces  tetanus  in  mice  when  injected  in  quantities 
of  only  a  few  milligrams.  The  second,  tetanotoxin,  produces  first 
tremor,  then  paralysis  followed  by  severe  convulsions.  The  third,  to 
which  no  name  has  been  given,  causes  tetanus  accompanied  by  free  flow 
of  the  saliva  and  tears.  The  fourth,  spasmotoxin,  induces  heavy  clonic 
and  tonic  convulsions. 

It  may  be  that  all  these  will  be  found  to  be  modifications  or  impure 
forms  of  the  same  poison.  Brieger  states  that  the  exact  character  and 
relative  amounts  of  the  poisons  formed  vary  with  the  nutrient  in  which 
the  germ  grows.  With  this  evidence  before  us  we  feel  justified  in  saying 
that  the  tetanus  germ  produces  its  poisonous  effects  by  elaborating  one 
or  more  ptomaines  in  the  body  of  the  animal  into  which  it  has  been 
introduced. 

Typhoid  Fever.  In  1880  Eberth  discovered  a  bacillus,  which  he 
believed  to  be  the  cause  of  typhoid  fever,  and  this  belief  has  been  con- 
firmed. The  fever  with  its  characteristic  lesions  has  been  produced  in 
animals  by  inoculation  with  the  germ.     Gaft'ky  was  the  first  to  inoculate 


206  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

animals  with  pure  cultures  of  the  bacillus  of  Eberth,  but  his  results  were 
wholly  negative.  Frankel  and  Simmonds  produced  fatal  results,  and 
observed  after  death  enlargement  of  the  spleen,  mesenteric  glands  and 
intestinal  follicles.  Moreover,  microscopical  examination  of  the  spleen 
showed  the  same  conditions  which  are  found  in  the  spleens  of  persons 
dead  of  typhoid  fever.  Seitz,  using  Koch's  cholera  method  of  inocu- 
lation, produced  with  the  typhoid  bacillus  acute  enteritis  with  ulceration 
and  enlargement  of  the  spleen.  Vaughan  and  Novy,  using  the  germ 
which  they  had  obtained  from  drinking-water,  produced  in  a  cat  vomit- 
ing, great  muscular  weakness  or  prostration,  primary  depression  of  tem- 
perature four  degrees  below  the  normal,  and  secondary  elevation  of  tem- 
perature three  degrees  above  the  normal.  Section  showed  ulceration 
in  both  the  small  intestine  and  ascending  colon.  Results  of  this  kind 
leave  no  doubt  that  the  bacillus  first  described  by  Eberth  is  the  true 
germ  of  typhoid  fever. 

In  1885  Brieger  obtained  from  pure  cultures  of  the  typhoid  bacillus  a 
toxic  ptomaine,  which  produced  in  Guinea  pigs  a  slight  flow  of  the 
saliva,  frequency  of  respiration,  dilatation  of  the  pupils,  profuse  diarrhoea, 
paralysis,  and  death  within  from  twenty-four  to  forty-eight  hours.  Post- 
mortem examination  showed  the  heart  in  systole,  the  lungs  hyperaemic, 
and  the  intestines  contracted  and  pale.  This  substance  Brieger  considers 
the  special  poison  of  typhoid  fever,  and  calls  it  typhotoxine.  However, 
he  obtained  with  this  poison  no  elevation  of  temperature. 

In  1887  Vaughan  and  Novy  obtained  from  pure  cultures  of  the  typhoid 
bacillus,  found  in  drinking-water,  which  had  been  the  supply  for  many 
persons  who  had  the  disease,  an  extract  which,  when  injected  under  the 
skin  of  cats,  caused  an  elevation  in  the  temperature  of  from  two  to  four 
and  one  half  degrees  above  the  normal. 

In  one  sick  of  typhoid  fever  the  bacillus  grows  and  multiplies  in  the 
intestines  and  forms  the  poison,  the  absorption  of  which  is  followed  by 
the  rise  in  temperature  and  other  symptoms  of  the  disease.  The  lesions 
in  the  intestines  are  probably  due  to  the  bacteria  themselves,  or  possibly 
to  the  local  irritating  effect  of  the  ptomaine. 

Cholera  Infantum.  There  are  many  reasons  for  believing  that  this 
disease  is  sometimes  at  least  due  to  poisoning  by  tyrotoxicon.  The  fact 
that  infants  nourished  exclusively  from  the  mother's  breast  are  almost 
wholly  exempt  from  the  disease,  strengthens  this  belief.  We  have 
already  seen  how  quickly  and  abundantly  this  poison  appears  in  milk 
when  the  conditions  are  favorable.  Moreover,  the  symptoms  induced 
by  the  poison  agree  with  those  observed  in  the  disease,  and  the  post- 
mortem changes  are  identical.  Then  cholera  infantum  is  a  disease  of 
the  summer  months,  when  decomposition  in  milk  goes  on  most  readily. 
It  is  most  common  in  cities,  and  among  classes  who  cannot  obtain  fresh 
milk  or  have  not  the  means  necessary  to  keep  it  fresh.  Moreover,  it  is 
often  allowed  to  stand  in  a  foul  atmosphere,  and  all  know  that  milk 
readily  takes  up  disagreeable  odors.  Even  in  the  country  insufficient 
attention   is  given  to  the  care  of  milk.     Cows  stand  and  are  milked  in 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  207 

filthy  barns.  The  udders  are  generally  not  washed  before  the  milking, 
and  the  vessels  for  the  milk  are  frequently  not  as  clean  as  they  should  be. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  greater  attention  to  the  milk  used  by  infants 
would  result  in  saving  many  thousands  of  lives  annually. 

HOW    TO    AVOID    BEING    POISONED    WITH    PTOMAINES. 

To  one  who  has  read  the  preceding  pages,  it  will  be  evident  that  the 
only  way  in  which  poisoning  by  ptomaines  can  be  avoided  consists  in 
preventing  their  formation.  The  majority  of  poisonous  ptomaines  are 
not  destroyed  at  the  temperature  to  which  food  is  raised  in  cooking.  The 
addition  of  the  most  powerful  disinfectants,  such  as  mercuric  chloride,  to 
solutions  of  ptomaines  does  not  destroy  them.  Panum  boiled  his  putrid 
poison  for  eleven  hours  without  destroying  its  virulence,  and  Brieger 
uses  mercuric  chloride  in  the  separation  of  many  of  his  ptomaines. 
However,  the  formation  of  ptomaines  may  be  prevented  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  germs  which  produce  them,  and  the  methods  of  accomplish- 
ing this  have  been  pointed  out  in  the  preceding  portions  of  this  report. 
In  exceptional  cases,  as  in  milk  containing  tyrotoxicon,  boiling  the  milk 
will  destroy  both  the  germ  and  the  ptomaine,  but  boiling  does  not  destroy 
the  active  principle  of  poisonous  mussel,  nor  the  poison  of  typhoid  fever. 


METHODS  OF  PRACTICAL  DISINFECTION. 

By  GEORGE  H.  ROHfi,  M.  D. 

The  scientific  determination  of  the  germicide  value  of  various  agents 
used  for  purposes  of  disinfection  is  so  recent  that  practical  methods  of 
applying  them  have  not  yet  been  developed  to  any  great  degree.  Disin- 
fection by  means  of  steam  has  received  most  attention  during  the  last  two 
years,  and  a  number  of  apparatuses  have  been  devised  for  the  efficient 
and  economical  application  of  this  agent.  As  a  supplement  to  the  paper 
by  the  writer  in  the  last  annual  report  of  the  Committee  on  Disinfectants, 
a  description  of  some  of  these  devices  will  be  given  in  the  following 
pages. 

By  referring  to  the  report  of  the  committee  for  1886  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  most  efficient  devices  for  disinfection  by  heat  consist  of  those  in 
which  steam  under  pressure,  or  passing  through  the  articles  to  be  disin- 
fected in  a  free  current  (stromender  Wasserdampf),  are  employed.  The 
opinion  was  expressed,  based  upon  practical  experience,  that  steam 
under  pressure,  in  order  to  raise  its  temperature  (or  possibly  to  increase 
its  penetrating  power),  was  the  best  form  in  which  to  employ  the  agent. 
This  opinion  was  justified  by  European  experience,  and  especially  by 
the  personal  observations  of  Drs.  S.  H.  Durgin  and  Joseph  Holt,  mem- 
bers of  the  committee,  to  whose  reports  attention  is  directed  {vide  supra 
et  infra) . 

Recent  experience  abroad  seems  to  indicate,  however,  that  an  appara- 
tus in  which  the  steam  is  not  confined  under  pressure  may  be  equally 
efficient,  more  easily  managed,  and  much  more  economical.  The 
simple  disinfecting  stove  of  Gibier  {vide  Report  for  18S6),  as  well  as 
the  disinfector  of  Henneberg  {vide  infra},  seem  to  meet  all  the  require- 
ments of  an  efficient,  economical,  and  safe  disinfecting  apparatus. 
During  the  recent  epidemic  of  sweating  sickness  in  France,  Gibier's  stove 
is  said  to  have  been  used  for  purposes  of  disinfecting  clothing  and  bed- 
ding with  entire  success. 

For  small  communities,  or  for  county  and  township  health  authorities, 
either  of  the  two  apparatuses  above  mentioned,  or  a  modification  of  them, 
would  seem  to  best  subserve  the  requirements  of  an  efficient  apparatus. 
A  disinfecting  stove  large  enough  to  disinfect  the  furnishings  of  an  ordinary 
sized  bed  should  not  cost  more  than  one  hundred  dollars.  If  made  in 
sections  like  Gibier's  stove,  it  could  be  transported  in  any  sort  of  vehicle, 
and,  if  necessary,  used  in  the  infected  room  itself.  By  a  little  ingenuity 
the  wagon  upon  which  the  apparatus  is  transported  might  be  made  to 
serve  as  the  disinfecting  chamber. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


209 


The  temperature  in  the  interior  of  the  chamber  should  be  maintained 
at  ioo°C.  (2120  F.),  or  above  for  ten  to  fifteen  minutes  in  order  to  make 
sure  of  the  destruction  of  all  infectious  material.  Every  apparatus  should 
be  tested  for  its  disinfecting  power  before  being  placed  in  actual  service. 
It  would  seem  that  all  machines  of  the  same  size  and  pattern  should  be 
equally  efficient,  but  practical  experience  shows  that  no  safe  prediction 
of  the  "functioning  capacity"  of  any  apparatus  can  be  given  before  a 
thorough  test  has  been  made. 


HENNEBERGS    DISINFECTOR. 


(Zeitschrift  f.  Hygiene,  Bd.  I,  Hft.  2.) 


This  apparatus  consists  of  two   superimposed  cylinders,  of  which  the 
upper  (Fig.   1,0)  is  intended  to   receive   the  articles  to  be  disinfected, 

while  the  lower  (g)  is  the  boiler 
in  which  the  steam  is  generated. 
The  upper  cylinder  has  double 
walls  and  a  cover  of  tin.  The 
interspace  between  the  outer  and 
inner  walls  is  filled  with  some 
non-conducting  material.  The 
lower  end  of  the  cylinder  is  open, 
and  rests  in  a  groove  which  forms 
the  upper  end  of  the  boiler. 
When  this  groove  is  filled  with 
water,  the  joint  between  the  re- 
ceptacle and  boiler  is  perfectly 
tight  and  does  not  permit  the 
escape  of  steam.  The  walls  of 
the  boiler  are  corrugated  to  in- 
crease the  heating  surface.  A 
perforated  iron  plate  (/')  forms 
the  lid  of  the  boiler.  The  fire, 
heating  the  upper  portion  of  the 
iron  sides  of  the  boiler,  prevents 


Fig.  1. 

condensation  of  the  steam  first  disengaged,  and  at  the  same  time  aids  in 
drying  the  materials  to  be  disinfected,  and  expelling  the  air  in  the  upper 
cylinder  before  the  latter  becomes  filled  with  steam.  The  steam  evolved 
at  the  surface  of  the  water  is  also  superheated  in  passing  over  the  heated 
surfaces  of  the  sides  of  the  boiler. 

The  steam  is  not  confined  under  pressure,  but  is  allowed  to  escape 
through  the  duct  (6)  which  may  lead  directly  to  the  open  air  or  into  a 
chimney.  At  the  lower  end  of  the  escape  pipe  a  thermometer  is  attached 
which  registers  the  temperature  attained  in  the  chamber. 

To  charge  the  disinfector,  the  upper  cylinder  is  raised  a  short  distance 
by  means  of  an  ingenious  mechanism,  until  clear  of  the  groove  in  which 


its  lower  end  rests.     The  cylinder  is  then  turned  on  its  side  until  it  rests 


■2IO  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

almost  horizontally.  It  is  fixed  in  this  position  until  the  articles  to  be 
disinfected  have  been  placed  in  it,  enclosed  in  a  wire  basket.  The  cylin- 
der is  then  again  turned  upright,  sunk  into  its  proper  groove,  and  the 
fire  started.  After  the  steam  has  passed  a  sufficient  length  of  time  to 
make  sure  of  thorough  disinfection,  a  valve  (k)  is  opened  which  leads 
into  the  chimney.  The  strong  draught  not  only  causes  the  steam  now 
produced  to  pass  into  the  chimney,  but  also  draws  out  that  in  the  cylin- 
der. In  a  few  minutes  the  contents  of  the  disinfector  are  entirely  dry, 
and  can  then  be  removed  by  turning  the  cylinder  on  its  side,  as  in  the 
process  of  charging. 

The  other,  non-essential,  parts  of  the  apparatus  are  pipes  for  filling 
and  emptying  the  boiler,  and  for  removing  the  condensed  vapor.  The 
estimated  expense  of  running  this  apparatus,  including  interest  on  capital 
invested,  is  8.90  marks  (about  $2.10)  per  day  for  a  machine  of  suffi- 
cient size  to  disinfect  7.35  cubic  meters  (about  250  cubic  feet)  of  mate- 
rials. 

The  disinfecting  power  of  the  apparatus  has  been  tested  by  Dr.  E. 
Esmarch,  and  found  to   meet  all  requirements. 

W.  Budenberg,  a  manufacturer  of  disinfecting  apparatus  in  Dortmund, 
exhibited  a  model  of  a  new  disinfector  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  German 
Association  of  Naturalists  and  Physicians.  No  description  was  pub- 
lished, but  the  following  points  are  of  some  interest.  The  steam  is 
under  slight  pressure.  The  apparatus  is  easily  transportable,  and  can 
be  readily  connected  to  any  steam  generator.  After  the  steam  begins 
to  enter  the  disinfecting  chamber,  a  temperature  of  1050  C.  (2210  F.)  is 
secured  in  five  minutes,  and  after  five  minutes  longer  the  temperature 
in  the  interior  of  large  packages  is  raised  to  io2°-io3°  C.  (2i6°-2i8° 
F.).  A  bacteriological  test  showed  complete  destruction  of  spores. 
An  apparatus  2.25  meters  (7  ft.  4  in.)  long,  nine  tenths  of  a  meter  (35 
inches)  broad,  and  1.50  meters  (4  ft.  11  in.)  high,  can  be  made  for  400 
marks  ($100). 

COST    OF    DISINFECTION    IN    BERLIN. 

H.  Merke  gives  in  the  Deutsche  Vierteljahresschrift  fur  Offentliche 
Gesundheitspflege,  Bd.  19,  Hft.  2,  some  interesting  details  concerning 
the  management  and  expense  of  the  public  disinfecting  station  in  Berlin. 
The  station  was  opened  for  the  use  of  the  public  on  November  1,  1886  ; 
and  in  the  two  months,  November  and  December,  1886,  327  persons 
made  use  of  the  apparatus  for  purposes  of  disinfection.  The  materials 
to  be  disinfected  occupied  a  total  space  of  722.4  cubic  metres  (25,284 
cubic  feet).  In  298  of  the  327  applications,  the  disease  for  which  disin- 
fection was  requested  was  ascertained.  In  the  remaining  29  cases,  either 
the  diagnosis  could  not  be  learned,  or  the  materials  disinfected  consisted 
of  rags,  furniture,  or  trimmings  of  sleeping-cars,  or  articles  from  places 
suspected  of  being  infected.  In  these  cases  the  disease  to  which  the  arti- 
cles were  supposed  to  have  been  exposed  was  generally  cholera. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  211 

Disinfection  was  practised  in  the  298  cases  in  which  the  disease  was 
known, — 

After  diphtheria  in  122  cases, or  40.93  per  cent. 

After  suspected  cholera  in  23  cases,      ....        or    7.72  per  cent. 

After  consumption  in  47  cases, or  15.77  per  cent. 

After  scarlet  fever  in  34  cases, or  11.40  per  cent. 

After  typhoid  fever  in  1 1  cases,     .         .         .   -     .         .         or    3.60  per  cent. 
After  syphilis,  scabies,  and  other  skin  diseases  in  61  cases,  or  20.47  Per  cent. 

Curiously,  the  larger  proportion  of  those  desiring  disinfection  belonged 
to  the  better  classes. 

Of  the  applications,  28.6  per  cent,  were  from  merchants. 
13.4  per  cent,  were  from  mechanics. 
1 1.4  per  cent,  were  from  professional  men. 

9.0  per  cent,  were  from  officials. 

5.7  per  cent,  were  from  manufacturers. 

4.0  per  cent,  were  from  rentiers. 

3.0  per  cent,  were  from  officers. 

5.7  per  cent,  were  from  laborers. 
19.3  per  cent,  were  from  restaurateurs,  etc. 

The  charges  for  disinfection  are  four  marks  ($1.00)  per  cubic  meter, 
including  bringing  and  returning  the  articles.  Where  rags  are  disin- 
fected, the  charges  are  one  mark  (24  cents)  per  100  pounds,  exclusive  of 
transportation  to  and  from  the  disinfecting  establishment. 

The  materials  disinfected  consisted  of  12,935  different  articles,  classi- 
fied as  follows : 

Clothing 1,710  pieces. 

Body  linen 5,351  pieces. 

Feather  beds i>940  pieces. 

Mattresses  and  bolsters 1,084  pieces. 

Straw  sacks 20  pieces. 

Furniture 101  pieces. 

Other  articles,  such  as  carpets,  sacks  of  rags,  curtains,  spreads,  etc.,  2,729  pieces. 

NEW    ELECTRICAL    REGISTERING    THERMOMETER. 


Fig.  2. 

Merke  has  also  devised  a  new  electrical  contact  thermometer  for  use 
in  determining  the  temperature  of  the  interior  of  the  disinfecting  appa- 
ratus.    It  is  constructed  as  follows :  An  ordinary  wooden  spring  clamp 


212  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

(Fig.  2)  is  faced  at  the  clamping  end  {a  a)  with  metal  strips  (c  c) .  The 
other  end  (6  b)  is  armed  with  small  strips  of  metal  with  two  equal-sized 
openings  or  rings  (d  d)  upon  each  arm  of  the  clamp.  In  pressing  to- 
gether this  end  of  the  clamp  the  rings  should  exactly  dovetail  into  each 
other.  Through  the  short  tube  thus  formed  by  the  rings,  a  small  rod  of 
fusible  metal,  made  by  melting  together  8  parts  of  bismuth,  3  parts  of  lead, 
and  3  parts  of  tin,  is  inserted.  This  constitutes  the  thermometer.  To 
the  metal  facings  of  the  other  end  of  the  clamp  conducting  wires  are 
attached,  which  connect  it  with  an  electrical  alarm  bell.  The  wires  are 
kept  from  getting  entangled  in  the  clamp  by  a  square  block  of  wood  (_/")» 
to  which  the  wires  are  attached.  The  whole  apparatus  is  now  enclosed 
in  a  hollow  wooden  capsule,  with  numerous  openings  in  its  sides  to  per- 
mit access  of  steam,  and  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  package  of  articles 
to  be  disinfected.  When  the  temperature  in  the  centre  of  the  package, 
or  around  the  thermometer,  reaches  ioo°  C.  (2i2°F.),  the  metal  rod 
melts,  the  spring  comes  into  play  and  closes  the  clamp.  The  two  metal 
surfaces  (c  c)  coming  in  contact  close  the  circuit,  and  the  electric  bell 
rings  to  indicate  the  temperature.  This  thermometer  is  cheap,  and  not 
liable  to  get  out  of  order.  By  placing  a  number  of  them  in  different 
parts  of  the  disinfecting  apparatus,  and  connecting  each  one  with  an 
electric  circuit,  the  exact  time  at  which  the  temperature  of  ioo°  C.  is 
reached  in  each  portion  of  the  apparatus  can  be  exactly  determined. 

This  contact  thermometer  can  also  be  used  without  the  electric  circuit. 
If  introduced  with  the  articles  to  be  disinfected,  and  the  rods  are  found 
to  have  been  melted  after  exposure,  it  indicates  that  the  temperature  of 
ioo°  C.  has  been  reached. 

DISINFECTION    BY    CHEMICAL    AGENTS. 

In  the  latest  instructions  issued  by  the  Berlin  health  authorities,  all 
disinfectants  are  discarded  except  heat  and  carbolic  acid.  The  latter  is 
used  in  five  per  cent,  solution  for  fecal  and  urinary  excreta,  expectora- 
tion, nasal  discharges,  etc.,  and  in  two  per  cent,  solution  for  articles  of 
clothing,  bedding,  and  wiping  cloths  used  about  the  sick-room.  These 
articles  are  directed  to  be  soaked  for  twenty-four  hours  in  the  two  per 
cent,  carbolic  acid  solution,  then  boiled  for  half  an  hour,  and  afterward 
washed  in  water  with  half  an  ounce  of  soft  soap  to  the  gallon.  Leather 
articles  (boots,  shoes,  etc.)  are  washed  in  five  per  cent,  solution  of  car- 
bolic acid.  Articles  which  cannot  be  washed  are  sent  to  the  public  dis- 
infecting station  for  disinfection;  or,  if  of  little  value,  are  destroyed  by 
burning.  To  the  great  surprise  of  many  sanitarians,  bichloride  of  mer- 
cury and  chloride  of  lime  are  not  mentioned  in  the  Berlin  instructions. 

In  Boston,  mercuric  bichloride  is  generally  used  as  a  disinfectant.  Dr. 
S.  H.  Durgin,  a  member  of  the  committee  on  disinfectants  and  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  health  of  that  city,  uses  a  solution  of  the  strength  of 
one  part  in  3  :  4000  for  spraying  the  streets.  A  bag  of  the  salt  is  hung 
inside  of  the  street  watering-carts,  and  as  it  dissolves  the  water  is  impreg- 
nated with  the  disinfectant.     The  rapidity  of  solution  of  the  salt  is  regu- 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  213 

lated  by  the  thickness  of  the  wraps  placed  around  it.  The  capacity  of 
the  water-tank  and  the  number  of  times  it  is  filled  during  the  day,  to- 
gether with  the  weight  of  the  mercuric  bichloride,  give  the  data  for  find- 
ing the  strength  of  the  solution. 

In  Chicago,  the  solution  of  the  bichloride  is  freely  used  in  yards,  cel- 
lars, gutters,  etc.  Watering-pots  with  fine  sprinklers  are  used  to  scatter 
it  over  the  surfaces  where  it  is  required. 

Guttmann  and  Merke  have  studied  the  methods  of  disinfecting  apart- 
ments after  infection  by  infectious  diseases.  Many  experiments  were 
made,  using  a  five  per  cent,  solution  of  carbolic  acid  and  a  1  :  1000  solu- 
tion of  mercuric  bichloride.  The  latter  was  found  to  be  the  most  effi- 
cient, and  always  trustworthy.  The  method  decided  upon  as  the  best  is 
the  following:  The  floor  of  the  room  is  first  saturated  with  a  solution  of 
mercuric  bichloride  (1  :  1000),  and  then  a  spray  of  the  same  solution 
directed  against  the  walls  and  ceiling  until  these  are  thoroughly  moist- 
ened, which  is  manifested  by  the  formation  of  small  drops.  The  floor 
is  then  mopped  dry,  and  afterward  washed  up  with  clean  water.  Finally, 
the  walls  and  ceiling  are  again  sprayed  with  a  one  per  cent,  solution  of 
soda.  This  causes  the  formation  of  oxychloride  of  mercury,  which  is 
brushed  off  when  dry.  By  this  subsequent  treatment,  all  danger  of  mer- 
curialization  of  the  occupants  of  the  room  is  removed.  The  proceeding 
seems  to  be  rational,  cheap,  and  more  efficient  than  any  other  hitherto 
used. 

Herasus  and  Kreibohm  experimented  with  volatilized  mercuric  bichlo- 
ride and  sulphur  in  combination  (following  one  fumigation  by  the  other), 
but  failed  to  secure  disinfection  of  the  walls  and  contents  of  the  room. 
The  method  seems  to  be  untrustworthy,  and  to  have  nothing  in  its  favor. 

The  method  of  disinfecting  the  bilge  of  ships  has  been  studied  by  Koch 
and  Garfky.  A  solution  of  mercuric  bichloride  was  employed,  using  a 
sufficient  quantity  to  produce  the  copper  reaction  when  thoroughly  mixed 
with  the  bilge  water.  At  the  end  of  eighteen  hours  the  disinfection  was 
complete,  as  shown  by  bacteriological  tests.  The  solution  is  poured  into 
the  bilge,  and  a  thorough  mixing  secured  by  pumping.  No  injury  re- 
sults to  the  ship  or  her  occupants  from  this  treatment.  The  pump  used 
becomes  "  infected  "  with  mercury,  however,  and  should  not  be  employed 
afterward  for  pumping  water  for  drinking  or  domestic  purposes.  This 
caution,  which  is  given  by  the  authors,  seems  hardly  necessary,  as  no  one 
would  think  of  drinking  bilge  water  under  any  circumstances,  and  the 
bilge  pump  is  generally  a  fixture  on  vessels. 

The  disinfection  of  stables  is  an  important  part  of  the  prophylaxis  of 
the  contagious  diseases  of  animals.  Dr.  Hugo  Plaut,  of  Leipzig,  recom- 
mends the  following  procedure  :  A  wooden  structure  equally  divided 
into  two  apartments  by  a  partition  is  to  be  built  before  the  main  stable 
door.  A  door  is  placed  in  the  partition  wall,  allowing  communication 
between  the  two  apartments,  and  one  door  is  to  open  externally.  The 
outer  apartment  serves  as  a  receptacle  for  the  clothing  worn  outside  of 
the  stable,  while  the  inner  one  contains  the  stable  dress.     When   the 


214  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

attendant  enters,  he  undresses  in  the  outer  apartment,  then  passes  through 
the  communicating  door  into  the  inner  apartment,  where  he  dresses  in 
the  stable  clothes.  When  he  leaves  the  stable,  he  removes  his  stable 
dress  in  the  inner  apartment,  washes  his  hands  and  feet,  steps  through 
the  door  into  the  outer  apartment,  and  resumes  his  ordinary  clothing. 

The  air  of  the  interior  of  the  stables  should  be  kept  saturated  with 
moisture,  in  order  to  lessen  the  mobility  of  disease  germs.  When  a 
stable  is  infected,  all  animals  in  it  are  to  be  removed,  and  kept  under 
observation.  Before  removal  they  are  to  be  well  cleaned,  and  their 
hoofs  washed  in  a  disinfectant  solution. 

The  stables  are  then  cleaned,  and  all  floors,  walls,  and  partitions 
scrubbed  with  water,  after  which  they  are  to  be  sprayed  with  a  solution 
of  mercuric  bichloride  (1:500).  After  several  hours'  exposure  to  the 
action  of  the  bichloride,  the  excess  of  this  salt  may  be  rendered  innocu- 
ous by  spraying  all  surfaces  with  a  saturated  sulphuretted  hydrogen 
water,  diluted  with  ten  parts  of  water.  A  simple  lime  wash  would 
probably  answer  equally  well. 

Laplace  has  found  that  by  adding  an  acid  to  a  solution  of  mercuric 
bichloride  or  carbolic  acid  the  germicide  power  of  the  latter  is  much 
increased.  A  two  per  cent,  solution  of  carbolic  acid,  to  which  one  half 
per  cent,  of  hydrochloric  acid  has  been  added,  will  destroy  the  spores  of 
anthrax,  while  without  the  addition  of  the  hydrochloric  acid  the  carbolic 
acid  is  inefficient  for  the  destruction  of  these  spores  in  five  per  cent,  solu- 
tion. Tartaric  acid  acts  in  a  similar  manner  when  added  to  the  disin- 
fectant. 


THE  QUARANTINE   SYSTEM   OF  LOUISIANA.— METHODS 
OF  DISINFECTION  PRACTISED. 

By  JOSEPH   HOLT,  M.  D.,  President  Board  of  Health,  State  of  Louisiana. 

In  describing  the  methods  of  disinfection  used  in  the  quarantine  oi 
Louisiana,  it  is  necessary  first  to  examine  the  system  itself  synthetically. 

There  are  three  maritime  approaches  to  New  Orleans, — the  Mississippi 
river,  which  is  the  central  and  main  avenue  ;  the  Rigolets,  thirty  miles  to 
the  eastward,  a  narrow  strait  connecting  Lake  Pontchartrain  with  Lake 
Borgne  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  ;  and  the  Atchafalaya  river  near  its 
debouchment  into  the  bay  of  that  name  and  Mexican  Gulf,  eighty-two 
miles  to  the  westward. 

On  account  of  the  character  of  shipping  coming  through  the  two  lat- 
eral approaches,  "  light  in  tonnage  and  mostly  from  domestic  ports,"  the 
Rigolets  and  Atchafalaya  are  completely  closed  by  a  proclamation  of 
forty  days'  detention  against  all  vessels  from  quarantined  ports,  compel- 
ling such  to  seek  the  Mississippi  as  the  only  available  route  to  New 
Orleans.  This  is  done  in  order  to  avoid  the  immense  expense  of  keep- 
ing up  three  completely  equipped  stations,  and  to  concentrate  at  a  single 
point  the  fight  against  infection. 

The  quarantine  in  the  Mississippi  is  a  system  composed  of  three  sta- 
tions, the  first  of  which  is  an  advance  guard  inspection  station,  situated 
at  Port  Eads,  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  below  New  Orleans,  where  the 
waters  of  South  Pass  are  jettied  into  the  Gulf. 

When  an  inward  bound  vessel  comes  into  the  offing,  she  is  immediate- 
ly boarded  by  a  thoroughly  skilled  medical  officer,  and  a  careful  inspec- 
tion is  made  of  her  sanitary  record  and  present  condition.  If  from  a 
non-quarantined  port,  and  all  is  well,  she  is  given  pratique  and  goes  on 
to  the  city.  If  from  a  quarantined  port,  but  presenting  a  clean  health- 
record  of  voyage,  and  no  evidence  of  sickness  of  a  dangerous  or  doubt- 
ful character,  she  proceeds  to  the  upper  quarantine  station,  situated  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  river,  seventy  miles  below  the  city,  where  she  is  sub- 
jected to  a  full  course  of  sanitary  treatment,  and  is  detained  such  length 
of  time,  not  exceeding  five  days  (except  in  rare  instances,  wherein 
further  observation  may  be  deemed  necessary),  as  the  board  of  health 
may  provide. 

If,  upon  inspection  of  a  vessel  entering  the  river,  she  is  found  to  be 
foul, — that  is,  showing  positive  or  suspicious  evidences  of  infection,  either 
in  a  person  then  ill  or  in  a  foul  health-record  of  voyage, — she  is  at  once 
remanded  to  the  lower  station,  located  on  Pass  a  L'Outre,  an  unused 
outlet  of  the  Mississippi,  one  hundred  and  three  miles  below  the  city. 
The  sick,  if  any,  are  at  once  removed  to  the  hospital,  where  every  pro- 
vision has  been  made  for  them.  The  vessel,  with  the  well  on  board,  is 
dropped  down-stream  a  few  hundred  yards  and  anchored.     In  the  mean- 


2l6 


REPORT  OR  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


&*& 


time  the  quarantine  tug-boat,  with  its 
NEW  ORLEANS  compiete  disinfecting  outfit,  has  been  tel- 
egraphed for  and  speedily  arrives  from 
the  upper  station,  when  the  work  of  dis- 
infection begins,  and  does  not  cease  until 
the  vessel  has  been  subjected  to  the  most 
vigorous  application  of  the  solution  of 
bichloride  of  mercury,  her  atmosphere 
below  deck  completely  replaced  with  one 
heavily  charged  with  sulphurous  oxide, 
and  every  article  of  baggage  and  ship's 
wardrobe  has  been  saturated  with  the 
mercuric  solution.  A  ship  known  to  be 
infected  with  one  of  the  three  great  pes- 
tilential diseases — small-pox,  cholera,  or 
yellow  fever — can  stand  and  must  endure 
extraordinary  treatment,  even  if  clothing 
is  wetted  and  some  articles  damaged. 
"  They  who  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships" 
assume  the  perils  of  the  voyage,  among 
which  is  this  occurrence  of  finding  them- 
selves on  an  infected  vessel  and  being 
compelled  to  undergo  a  cleansing ;  for 
they  have  no  right  to  bring  their  perils 
ashore  and  endanger  others. 

The  immediate  segregation   of  the  sick 
and  the  well,  and  disinfection  of  the  ship 
and  all  baggage  (in  the  case  of  a  chol- 
era-infected vessel  extended  to  the  dis- 
infectant washing-out  and   refilling  of 
the    water-tanks,     destruction    of    the 
T!*fS?   food-supply,  and  revictualling  the  ves- 
sel), constitute  the  treatment  of  an  in- 
fected vessel  at  this  station.    The  ship, 
1        /       together  with  all  on  board,  is  held  for 
\_jj  observation   a    period    of  ten    days  or 

\jg  more  according  to  circumstances,  when 

I  P^£.  she  is  released  and  proceeds  to  the 
upper  station,  where  the  processes  of 
sanitary  treatment  are  re- 
peated, with  the  addition 
of  the  use  of  moist  heat 
l°lrTnI}  applied  to  baggage,  ship's 
apparel,  etc.  (which  lat- 
ter process  will  be  de- 
scribed hereafter) ,  and 
the  vessel  is  then  allowed 
to  proceed  to  the  city. 


PPER  STATION 


nvrioN 


1^  PORTE 

Jetties'    stati0" 
Quarantine  Stations 


S, 


REPOh'T  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


217 


This  course  of  treatment  at  the  upper  station,  while  probably  unneces- 
sary, is  enforced  purely  as  an  extraordinary  precaution.  Inasmuch  as 
infected  ships  are  the  exceptions,  but  inasmuch  also  as  the  board  of 
health  will  take  no  risk  in  the  case  of  vessels  from  known  infected  or 
suspected  ports,  regardless  of  bills  of  health,  the  vast  majority  of  vessels 


are  treated  at  the 
upper  station. 
Arriving  at  this 
station  the  vessel 
is  brought  along- 
side the  wharf. 
All  on  board, 
officers,  crew, 
and  passengers, 
are  at  once  sent 
ashore,  where 
they  find  am- 
ple accommo- 
dation in  com- 
modious shelter 
provided  f o  r 
their  entertain- 
ment during  the 
time  occupied  in 
the  sanitary  treat- 
ment of  the  ship 
and  all  baggage. 
As  soon  as  this 
is  completed 
they  are  permit- 
ted to  return 
aboard  ship, 
where  they  re- 
main under  ob- 
servation during 
the  prescribed 
period,  deter- 
mined by  the  re- 
moteness or 
nearness  of  the 
port  against 
which  these  pre- 
cautions  are 
taken.  The  ob- 
ject of  this  brief 
detention  for  ob- 
servation, after 
the  sanitary  treat- 


\ra  *;. 


(Plate  i.)  Tug-boat  with  Fumigating  Apparatus. 
a.  Furnace.  /'.  Reservoir  for  reception  of  gas.  c.  Discharge  pipe  convey- 
ing gas  to  ship's  hold.  </.  Escape  for  gas  when  fan  is  at  rest  and  sulphur 
is  burning  ;  closed  by  a  valve  when  fan  is  in  motion,  e.  House  protect- 
ing from  weather  the  machinery  for  driving  fan  and  containing  acceler- 
ating gearing. 


2l8  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

ment  of  the  vessel  has  been  completed,  is  to  allow  for  a  probable 
outbreak  of  an  infectious  disease  already  incubating  in  the  system  of  any 
one  on  board. 

As  an  essential  part  of  the  service,  there  is  a  tug-boat  of  sufficient  power 
to  move  a  sailing  vessel  to  or  from  the  wharf.  In  addition  to  this  re- 
quirement, this  boat  is  equipped  with  a  complete  outfit  for  generating  and 
applying  germicidal  gas  for  displacement  of  the  entire  atmosphere  with- 
in the  ship,  transported,  perhaps,  directly  from  some  infected  port.  In 
the  hold  of  this  tug  is  constructed  a  wooden  tank  of  2,000  gallons'  capac- 
ity, to  hold  the  bichloride  of  mercury  solution  for  the  treatment  of  ves- 
sels in  the  lower  quarantine,  as  described.  This  tank  is  furnished  with 
a  steam  pump  (made  of  iron  on  account  of  the  greater  resistance  of  that 
metal  to  amalgamation)  supplied  with  three-quarter-inch  rubber  hose. 
(See  plate  1.) 

In  the  sanitary  treatment  of  a  vessel  in  quarantine  there  are  three 
processes  of  disinfection  currently  applied. 

APPLICATION    OF    BICHLORIDE    OF    MERCURY. 

The  first  is  the  wetting  of  all  available  surfaces  of  the  vessel,  except- 
ing cargo,  but  including  bilge,  ballast,  hold,  saloons,  forecastle,  decks, 
etc.,  with  a  solution  of  the  bichloride  of  mercury,  made  soluble  by  an 
equal  weight  of  muriate  of  ammonia,  in  the  proportion  of  1  :  1,000  of 
water. 

The  idea  of  using  this  agent  as  a  disinfectant  in  "  municipal  and  mari- 
time sanitation"  suggested  itself  to  me  while  reading  the  chapter  on 
"  Wound  Disinfection  —  Antiseptics,"  in  the  volume  entitled  "The 
Treatment  of  Wounds,"  by  Lewis  S.  Pilcher,  M.  D.,  containing  an 
account  of  the  experiments  of  Dr.  George  M.  Sternberg,  with  a  table  of 
chemical  agents  and  their  relative  germicidal  strengths  (at  the  head  of 
which  stands  the  bichloride  of  mercury),  and  also  a  table  of  the  results 
obtained  by  Koch  in  Berlin,  1SS1,  and  by  Schede  and  Kiimmel  in  the 
Hamburg  General  Hospital  in  the  same  year. 

The  board  of  health  immediately  endorsed  the  idea,  and  ordered  the 
adoption  of  the  bichloride  of  mercury,  as  explained  in  the  following  let- 
ter: 

New  Orleans,  July  17,  1884. 
Dr.  Thomas  Y.  Aby,  Resident  Physician  Mississippi  Quarantine  Station  : 

Dear  Sir  :  Because  of  the  signal  failure  of  carbolic  acid  as  a  disinfectant  and  prophy- 
lactic agent  after  a  trial  more  fair  and  extended  than  has  ever  been  allowed  any  other  ; 
because  of  its  excessively  offensive  odor  and  the  oppressive  and  sometimes  mischievous 
effects  of  its  fumes;  because  of  the  low  order  of  the  commercial  acid  as  a  germicide  and 
the  considerable  expense  involved  in  its  use, — you  are  hereby  requested  to  discontinue  its 
application. 

In  its  stead  I  have  ordered  to  your  station  two  packages  of  bichloride  of  mercury  and 
muriate  of  ammonia,  the  latter  to  act  as  a  solvent. 

In  its  preparation  for  use,  take  five  and  a  half  ounces  of  each  and  dissolve  in  a  half 
gallon  of  water;  add  this  to  forty  gallons  of  water  in  a  cask.  I  have  sent  three  large 
watering-pots,  with  a  fine   rose  or  spray.     Your  men  can  quickly  wet  down  a  ballast  pile 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFE^CrA$¥&R  219 


and  all  available  surfaces  of  a  ship,  and  it  needs  no  repetition  when  once  thoroughly 
applied. 

The  advantages  of  this  agent  are  briefly  these :  The  mercuric  bichloride  stands  pre- 
eminently above  all  chemicals  as  a  universal  germicide.  Not  only  are  definite  organisms 
immediately  destroyed,  but  all  protoplasms  and  albuminoids  are  devitalized  by  it.  It  is 
efficient  to  accomplish  this  work  when  applied  in  a  solution  so  weak  as  not  to  be  recog- 
nized except  by  chemical  re-agents.  It  is  devoid  of  color  or  smell.  It  does  not  poison 
the  air  by  vaporizing,  but  adheres  in  an  innocuous  form  to  the  surfaces  upon  which  orig- 
inally applied.     Its  cost  is  about  one  eighth  of  that  of  carbolic  acid. 

I  feel  that  this  transition  is  quite  as  much  of  a  relief  to  you,  my  dear  doctor,  as  to  the 
afflicted  people  on  shipboard,  who  must  surely  suffer  severely  from  the  stifling  fumes 
emanating  from  carbolic  acid  applied  to  surfaces  heated  by  a  July  sun,  as  the  people  of 
this  city  can  testify  to  their  terrible  cost ! 

The  position  of  persons  confined  on  shipboard  under  such  circumstances,  particularly 
in  the  instance  of  women  and  children  as  passengers,  as  related  by  yourself,  must  at  times 
be  most  distressing.  The  board  of  health  heartily  joins  with  you  in  the  satisfaction  and 
sense  of  relief  afforded  by  this  change,  which  is  an  important  step  in  the  great  work  of 
humanizing  our  quarantine. 

I  remain,  with  great  esteem,  yours  very  truly, 

(Signed)  JOSEPH  HOLT,  M.  D., 

President  Board  of  Health,  State  of  Louisiana. 

The  bold  adoption  of  this  poisonous  agent  in  domestic,  municipal,  and 
maritime  sanitation  at  once  called  forth  a  flood  of  most  gloomy  forebod- 
ings of  fearful  effects  upon  the  human  system. 

Our  declaration  at  that  time  is  confirmed  by  an  experience  of  four 
years'  trial  on  an  immense  scale,  that  our  standard  solution,  as  used  in 
sanitation,  is  absolutely  harmless  to  persons  unless  swallowed,  it  matters 
not  how  extensive  or  constant  the  contact.  The  only  objection  we  have 
yet  discovered  is  that  certain  articles,  particularly  blankets  and  flannels, 
treated  by  the  solution,  sometimes  becomes  spotted,  and  colors  liable  to 
"  run  "  when  wetted,  suffer  ;  but  unlike  all  other  chemical  agents  applied 
as  disinfectants,  the  textile  itself  is  in  nowise  injured. 

Recapitulating  its  merits  :  Being  colorless,  stainless  (except  as  stated)  t 
odorless,  not  injurious  to  fabrics,  perfectly  safe  to  handle  for  months  at  a 
time,  easily  applied,  and  exceedingly  cheap,  it  is  impossible  to  imagine  a 
substance  more  efficient,  and  as  free  from  objection  in  practice.  It  is 
indeed  the  key  unlocking  difficulties  otherwise  insurmountable,  and  ren- 
dering practicable  in  municipal  and  maritime  sanitary  work  the  efficient 
execution  of  scientific  requirement. 

The  amalgamating  powers  of  the  mercuric  salt  presented  many  serious 
obstacles  in  the  contrivance  of  an  apparatus  for  its  application,  all  of 
which  have  been  overcome  without  sacrificing  simplicity,  efficiency,  or 
economy. 

Immediately  adjoining  the  quarantine  wharf  and  near  its  water  edge 
is  constructed  a  heavy  framework  of  piles,  each  twelve  inches  in  diame- 
ter. This  structure  has  an  ample  base,  is  pyramidal,  and  forty-five  feet 
in  height  above  mean  level  of  the  river.     On  top  of  this  is  a  circular 


220 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


wrought   iron   tank,  capable   of  holding   eight   thousand   gallons  of  the 
mercuric  solution.      (See  plate.) 

In  order  to   prevent  contact  of  the  latter  with  the  iron,  the  interior  of 
the  tank  is  painted  over  with  three  coats  of  red  lead  and  two  of  paraffine 

paint.  The  top  of  the  tank  is 
closed  by  a  secure  cover  to  pre- 
vent access  of  light  to  the  solu- 
tion. This,  together  with  the 
general  exterior,  is  painted 
black.  On  the  top  of  this  cov- 
er is  placed  centrally  a  sixty 
gallon  wooden  cask,  in  which 
is  dissolved  the  mercuric  salt, 
which  is  then  emptied  into  the 
tank  through  a  wooden  faucet. 
Seventy  pounds  are  used  for 
one  charge. 

In  the  tank  near  the  lower 
edge  are  three  heavy  galvanized 
iron  faucets,  to  each  of  which 
is  screwed  a  lead  of  three-quar- 
ter-inch, four-ply  rubber  hose, 
the  farther  ends  of  which  lie  on 
the  wharf.  These  are  length- 
ened by  additional  sections  to 
reach  any  part  of  the  largest 
vessel.  To  the  far  extremity 
of  each  hose  is  attached  a  short, 
wide  nozzle,  provided  with  a 
stop-cock.  During  disinfection 
all  three  are  simultaneously 
used,  fore,  aft,  and  amidship. 
For  spraying  we  use  a  perfor- 
ated, heavy  black-tin  rose,  four 
inches  across  the  face,  similar 
to  an  ordinary  watering-pot 
spray.  These  are  made  with 
a  shank  about  six  inches  long, 
to  fit  snugly  into  the  open  end 
of  the  pipe.  On  a  single  ves- 
sel we  averaged  fifteen  hundred 
gallons  of  solution,  but  often 
(Plate  2.)  used  t|iree  thousand.     The  pro- 

View  of  disinfecting  wharf,  showing  tug  fumigating  requires    from   thirty  min- 

vessel ;  elevated  tank  containing  8,000  gallons  of  1  J 

bichloride  of  mercury  solution,  3  leads  of  hose    utes  to  two  hours,  according  to 
from  tank  to  ship.     Gangway  leading  to  building     circumstances, 
containing  super-heating  chamber. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS.  221 

SULPHUROUS    OXIDE    FUMIGATION. 

As  soon  as  the  men  have  completed  the  work  of  "  bichloriding"  below 
decks,  the  fumigating  pipe  is  then  extended  from  the  quarantine  tugboat 
lying  alongside.  (See  Plates  i  and  2.)  It  is  lengthened  by  sections, 
being  fitted  together  like  stovepipe,  and  conducted  down  a  convenient 
hatchway  to  the  bottom  of  the  hole  or  as  near  the  kelson  as  possible, 
preparatory  to  the  fumigation  of  the  entire  vessel  (and  cargo  if  any)  with 
sulphurous  oxide.  In  the  case  of  a  sailing  ship,  one  hatchway  gives 
access  of  the  sulphurous  gas  to  the  entire  hold;  but  in  large  steamers 
the  hold  is  subdivided  by  bulkheads  into  two  or  more  distinct  compart- 
ments, which  must  be  treated  separately. 

In  undergoing  treatment  the  cargo  is  not  disturbed  except  when  the 
removal  of  bags  of  coffee  is  required  to  permit  the  passage  of  the  fumi- 
gating pipe,  which  is  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  down  into  the  dunnage 
at  the  bottom  of  the  cargo. 

I  have  given  explicit  instructions  to  coffee  importers,  whereby  the  ex- 
pense of  removing  bags  to  make  this  well  or  shaft  through  the  cargo  may 
be  avoided.  It  is  necessary  to  have  an  open,  frame-work  shaft,  allowing 
a  clear  inside  space  of  fifteen  inches,  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  main 
hatch  in  a  sailing  vessel,  or  in  the  centre  of  each  hatch  in  a  steamship 
having  bulkhead  compartments.  The  frame-work  of  this  shaft  is  set 
before  loading,  and  should  be  cut  flush  with  the  top  of  the  cargo.  This 
simple  arrangement  avoids  all  handling  and  delay. 

When  the  connections  are  made  and  the  fumigating  pipe  is  arranged, 
the  fan  on  the  tugboat  is  started  and  the  process  of  displacing  with  sul- 
phurous oxide  the  entire  atmosphere  within  the  ship  begins.  The  length 
of  time  required  to  complete  the  fumigation  varies  from  thirty  minutes 
to  three  hours,  according  to  size  of  vessel,  number  of  compartments,  etc. 
The  quantity  of  commercial  roll  sulphur  used  varies  from  one  hundred 
to  seven  hundred  pounds  per  vessel. 

The  apparatus  invented  for  rapidly  evolving  and  supplying  the  germi- 
cidal gas  consists  in  a  battery  of  eighteen  furnaces,  each  supplied  with 
a  pan  to  contain  the  sulphur  during  combustion.  These  furnaces  open 
into  a  common  reservoir,  to  the  farther  end  of  which  is  connected  a  pow- 
erful exhaust  fan   (Sturtevant's  No.  29).      (See  Plates  3  and  4.) 

The  gas  drawn  by  the  fan  is  driven  into  a  twelve-inch  galvanized  iron 
pipe,  through  which  it  is  conducted  over  the  side  and  down  the  hatch- 
way of  the  vessel  into  the  bottom  of  the  hold.  The  gas,  as  it  is  driven 
into  the  vessel,  is  quite  hot,  but  would  extinguish  rather  than  create  fire. 
The  outflow  should  not  impinge  directly  against  bags  of  coffee  or  bales 
of  textiles,  if  it  can  be  avoided,  in  order  to  prevent  formation  of  sulphuric 
acid  and  some  slight  injury  therefrom  at  that  point.  In  treating  coffee, 
and  for  convenience  in  some  other  instances,  the  vertical  lead  of  pipe 
into  the  hold  is  made  of  abestos  cloth,  closely  and  heavily  woven  for  our 
purpose.  Every  opening  is  closely  battened  during  the  process,  and 
remains  so  for  at  least  eight  hours  after  it  is  discontinued. 


222  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


(Plate  3.)    Fumigating  Furnace,  Reservoir,  and  Exhaust  Fan. 

a.  Furnace  of  cast  iron,  y^  inch  thick ;  3  feet  wide,  3  feet  long,  2  feet  high.     Upper  and  lower 
plates  grooved  for  reception  of  partitions,  and  sides  shouldered  for  same,  as  shown  in  Plate  4. 

b.  Reservoir,  No.  10  iron,  same  dimensions  as  furnace. 

c.  Exhaust  pipe  connecting  reservoir  and  fan. 

d.  Exhaust  fan,  Sturtevant's  No.  29,  Medium  Planing  Mill  Exhauster. 

e.  Discharge  pipe  from  fan,  made  of  No.  20  galvanized  iron. 
/.  Driving  belt. 

Height  of  legs  supporting  furnace  and  reservoir,  10  inches.     On  reservoir  at  letter  {b)  should  be 
shown  a  12-inch  opening  for  escape  pipe,  as  indicated  (d)  Plate  1. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


223 


The  apparatus  throughout  is  made  ample  in  size  and  power  for  rapid- 
ity of  work  and  economy  in  wear  and  tear,  by  lessening  velocity  and 
friction.     The  fan  is  run  by  a  special  engine  at  a  slow  rate  as  compared 


M     3 


9     X 

5  s: 


3     •* 


I  2 

%  ' 

5  3 

8  5 

l/>  t/J 


•0  v... 
re    O* 

II 


with   its  capacity,  but  -driving  into  the  ship  180,000  cubic  feet  per  hour 
of  atmosphere  surcharged  with  sulphurous  oxide. 


2  24 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


(Plate  5.) 
Brick  building  in  which  is  located  the  super- 
heating chamber  ;   gangway  in  front  connect- 
ing with  disinfecting  wharf. 


APPLICATIONS    OF  DRY  AND  MOIST 
HEAT. 

While  these  two  processes  of 
sanitary  treatment  of  the  vessel  are 
going  on,  all  bedding,  ship's  linen, 
cushions,  mattresses,  flags,  mos- 
quito nets,  curtains,  carpets,  rugs, 
all  personal  baggage  and  wearing 
apparel  of  whatever  description, 
are  removed  from  the  ship  to  a 
commodious  building  in  close 
proximity  (see  Plate  5),  in  which 
these  articles  are  treated  by  moist 
heat  at  a  temperature  of  not  less 
than  2300  Fahrenheit. 

The  apparatus  for  this  work  con- 
sists in  a  steel  forty-horse  power 
steam  boiler  (see  Plate  9) ,  for  sup- 
plying steam  to  a  superheating 
chamber  a  few  feet  distant,  and 
which  I  will  now  describe.  (See 
Plates  6,  7,  and  8.)  The  dimen- 
sions of  this  chamber,  taken  inte- 
riorly or  inside  measure,  are  60 
feet  long,  11  feet  wide,  and  7  feet 
high.  The  framework  is  compos- 
ed of  3x3  inch  seasoned  pine  lum- 
ber, joined  as  in  the  construction 
of  a  frame  house.  Upon  the  out- 
side of  this  framework  (and  corre- 
sponding to  weatherboarding  in  the 
case  of  a  house)  is  nailed  tongued 
and  grooved  flooring  material  three 
fourths  of  an  inch  thick  by  six 
inches  wide.  The  inside  or  inte- 
rior of  the  ends,  rear,  and  top  of 
the  chamber  is  ceiled  with  the 
same  material,  and  a  flooring  of 
the  same  is  also  laid.  Upon  these 
interior  surfaces  is  tacked  heavy 
44  Russian  hair-cloth  or  felting  ;  " 
and  upon  this,  at  intervals  of  three 
feet,  are  nailed  parallel  strips  of 
wood  1^x2  inches,  and,  in  turn, 
upon  these  strips  is  fastened  an- 
other sheathing  or  ceiling  of  floor- 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


225 


ing  plank,  as  already  described.  This  secures  an  air  space  between 
the  hair-cloth  and  the  inner  ceiling.  Upon  this  now  smooth  interior 
surface  of  wood  is  finally  tacked  and  held  in  place  by  very  broad-headed 


nails,  or  better,  by  nails  supplied  with  tin  discs  or  washers,  a  double 
layer  of  u  Asbestos  Building  Felt,"  well  lapped  and  securely  tacked, 
thus  rendering  the  interior  of  the  chamber  fire-proof. 


226 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


By  the  foregoing  described  construction,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  walls 
of  the  chamber,  which  are  eight  inches  in  thickness,  consist  of  seven 
non-conducting  media:  First,  the  outer  layer  of  planking;  second,  three 
inches  of  air  space  ;  third,  an  inner  ceiling  of  planking  ;  fourth,  one  inch 
thickness  of  "  Russian  hair-cloth  ;  "  fifth,  one  and  a  half  inch  air  space  ; 
sixth,  a  third  layer  of  three  fourth  inch  planking ;  seventh,  a  double 
layer,  or  interior  lining,  of  heavy  asbestos  felting. 


The  front  wall  is  divided  into  forty  panels,  eighteen  inches  wide  each 
(see  Plate  6),  which  represents  that  number  of  racks  contained  within 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  227 

the  chamber.  Upon  the  bars  of  these  racks  the  clothing,  etc.,  is  hung 
for  exposure  to  disinfection  by  moist  heat.  (See  Plate  7.)  These  racks 
are  constructed  with  a  front  and  rear  panel  united  by  horizontal  bars, 
six  to  each  side.  Each  rack  is  suspended  overhead,  on  travelling  rollers, 
upon  an  iron  rod  which  extends  from  the  rear  wall  of  the  chamber  to  a 
support  ten  feet  in  front  of  the  chamber,  the  rod,  therefore,  being  twenty 
feet  in  length.  By  this  arrangement  overhead  the  racks  may  be  drawn 
out  and  pushed  in  with  facility,  thus  avoiding  tracks  or  rods  on  the  floor 
obstructing  the  movements  of  employes.  When  drawn  out  the  full 
length  of  ten  feet,  the  rear  panels  of  the  racks  securely  close  the  chamber, 
as  do  the  front  panels  when  the  racks  are  pushed  in,  thus  admitting  of 
the  heating  of  the  chamber  during  the  time  of  hanging  the  articles  of 
clothing,  etc.,  on  the  rack-bars  preparatory  to  disinfection. 

For  this  admirable  device,  and,  indeed,  for  the  entire  skeleton  of  the 
superheating  chamber,  including  the  dry  heat  double  steam  coils,  we  are 
indebted  to  the  Troy  Laundry  Machinery  Company,  Chicago,  111.  We 
found  the  purchase  of  this  apparatus,  constructed  to  include  certain  of 
our  specifications,  to  be  the  most  economical  and  satisfactory  we  could 
have  desired.  The  interior  surface  of  each  panel  is  lined  with  a  layer  of 
Russian  hair-cloth,  over  which  is  applied  a  double  layer  of  asbestos  felt- 
ing. At  intervals  of  seven  and  a  half  feet  a  bulkhead  of  one  inch 
tongued  and  grooved  flooring  is  constructed,  subdividing  the  chamber  into 
eight  compartments.  These  bulkheads  or  partitions  are  made  fire- 
proof by  a  covering  of  a  double  layer  of  asbestos  felting.  The  object  of 
this  arrangement  is  to  provide  against  the  spread  of  fire  in  the  event 
of  its  occurrence.  In  addition  to  this  provision,  there  is  a  double  lead  of 
one  inch  fire  hose  connected  with  a  steam  pump  near  the  boiler,  and 
at  all  times  ready,  within  fifteen  seconds'  notice,  to  turn  on  two  streams 
of  water  upon  any  rack  on  which  fire  might  have  originated. 

These  minute  specifications  concerning  provision  against  fire  are  par- 
ticularly appreciated  by  ourselves :  it  cost  us  two  fires  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  a  large  amount  of  property  to  learn  a  lesson  which  experience 
alone  could  teach.  Lacking  experience  and  precedent,  these  accidents 
could  not  have  been  foreseen,  and  therefore  could  not  have  been  provided 
against.  They  were  the  result  of  an  underrating,  and  failure  to  appre- 
ciate the  prodigious  force  the  contrivance  invented  placed  at  our  will  to 
invoke.  Under  the  present  arrangement,  including  early  use  of  free 
steam,  fire  is  hardly  possible ;  but  if  it  should  occur,  we  are  prepared  to 
draw  out  instantly  the  burning  panel,  to  strip  it  of  clothing,  and  to  put 
out  the  fire.  With  reasonable  care  and  watchfulness  on  the  part  of  the 
employes,  there  need  be  absolutely  no  danger  of  loss  by  fire. 

The  superheating  of  this  chamber  is  so  provided  as  to  furnish  at  will 
dry  or  moist  heat,  or  both  ;  and  by  a  turn  of  the  hand  a  temperature  of 
3000  F.  can  be  obtained.  Within  and  at  the  end  of  this  chamber,  next 
to  and  connected  with  the  boiler,  are  two  manifolds,  one  above  the  other, 
to  which  is  connected  a  system  of  forty-five  three  quarter  inch  steam 
pipes  (aggregating  5,509  lineal  feet),  placed  horizontally  near  the  floor 


228 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


of  the  chamber,  running  its  full  length,  and  supplied  with  a  "  bleeder" 
for  conveying  off  the  water  of  condensation.  This  double  coil  furnishes 
the  dry  heat.  (See  Plate  8.)  Above  and  in  close  proximity  to  this  sys- 
tem of  pipes  is  extended  a  horizontal  screen  of  galvanized  iron,  one  half 
inch  mesh,  to  catch  and  so  prevent  the  coming  in  contact  with  the  super- 
heating pipes  any  article  falling  from  the  racks.      (See  Plate  7.) 

The  moist  heat  is  supplied  by  a  one  inch  steam  pipe  laid  centrally  in 
the  midst  of  the  above  described  dry  heat  pipes,  and  running  the  entire 
length  of  the  chamber,  constituting  a  steam-main,  connected  with  the 
boiler,  and  controlled,  as  the  others,  by  a  ball  valve  on  the  outside. 
This  pipe  is  perforated  by  eighty  one-twelfth  inch  holes,  so  placed  as  to 
furnish  steam  to  each  rack. 

During  the  time  of  hanging  the  articles  of  clothing,  etc.,  on  the  racks, 
the  dry  heat  is  turned  on,  and  the  temperature  raised  to  about  1900  F., 


(Plate  S.) 
Super-heating  steam  coil  for  dry  heat.     L-b.  Perforated  steam  pipe  for  moist  heat. 


made  known  by  a  thermometer  having  a  large  mercurial  column,  and 
suspended  near  the  centre  of  the  chamber,  working  on  a  slide  or  travel- 
ling rod  in  such  a  manner,  when  it  is  desired  to  make  a  reading,  as  to 
allow  of  being  drawn  forward  (by  a  cord  extending  outside)  to  a  long, 
narrow  pane  of  glass  set  in  the  panel.  This  thermometer  should  have  a 
scale  of  at  least  2750  F.  As  each  rack  is  filled  it  is  put  back  into  place. 
By  the  time  the  last  of  the  articles  have  been  hung  on  the  racks,  the  en- 
tire mass  of  the  material  within  the  chamber  has  attained  a  temperature 
between  1900  and  2000  F.,  when  free  steam  is  turned  on  ;  the  thermometer 
speedily  rises  to  a  point  varying  between  2300  and  2400  F.,  at  which  it  is 
maintained  for  a  period  of  twenty  minutes. 

The  steam  pressure  in  the  boiler,  at  the  beginning  of  this  process,  reg- 


REPORT  OF   COMMITTER   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


229 


isters  between  100  and  no  pounds  by  the  steam  gauge  ;  at  the  end  of  the 
process  of  blowing  in  steam  the  pressure  will  have  fallen  to  about  sixty 
pounds.  The  steam  is  now  entirely  cut  off  from  the  chamber,  the  racks 
are  drawn  out,   and  their  contents  removed.     During  the   process   of 


steaming,  every  article  is  perceived  to  be  saturated  and  intensely  hot,  the 
steam  freely  permeating  to  the  interior  of  mattresses,  double  blankets, 


23°  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

etc.  ;  but  so  great  is  the  heat  in  the  texture  of  the  fabrics  as  to  imme- 
diately expel  all  moisture  upon  drawing  the  racks  and  exposure  to  the 
open  air.  Shirts,  collars,  etc.,  instantly  assume  the  crisp  dryness  they 
possessed  before  exposure,  losing  the  musty  smell  of  long  packing  in  a 
trunk.  Silks,  laces,  and  the  most  delicate  woollen  goods  show  no  signs 
of  injury  whatever  from  the  treatment.  Of  course,  articles  of  leather, 
rubber,  and  whalebone  would  be  injured  by  the  heat,  and  are  therefore 
disinfected  with  the  mercuric  solution,  and  not  permitted  to  go  into  the 
heated  chamber.  Time  required  to  charge  chamber  with  apparel  for 
disinfection,  thirty  minutes  ;  time  required  for  moist  heat,  twenty  min- 
utes;  for  removal  of  articles,  fifteen  minutes; — a  total  of  sixty-five 
minutes.  A  large  steamship,  particularly  a  passenger  vessel,  may  re- 
quire two  or  three  charges  of  the  chamber.  Amount  of  coal  consumed, 
from  two  to  four  barrels  per  vessel. 

In  the  summer  of  1885,  we  devised  and  put  up  a  chamber  of  the  above 
general  plan,  but  wholly  inadequate  as  to  size  for  the  requirements  of 
our  service.  This  was  replaced  by  one  operating  on  the  same  principle, 
but  fifty  feet  long  and  supplied  with  a  twenty  horse-power  boiler,  which 
latter  proved  too  small  for  rapid  work.  This  apparatus  was  burned  last 
spring.  Our  present  chamber  and  supply  boiler  are  of  the  dimensions 
given  in  the  appended  plates.  We  prepared  the  plans  of  the  foregoing 
described  apparatus  during  the  summer  of  1884.  Obtaining  a  liberal 
appropriation  of  $30,000  from  the  state  legislature  for  the  avowed  pur- 
pose of  establishing  a  new  system  of  quarantine  through  the  elaborations 
of  purely  experimental  work,  and  thoroughly  endorsed  and  sustained  in 
all  our  efforts  by  the  press  of  New  Orleans  and  by  the  merchants,  we 
put  the  new  system  into  practical  operation,  and  threw  open  the  Missis- 
sippi to  commerce  June  10,  1885.  As  it  stands  to-day,  we  sincerely  be- 
lieve in  a  nearly  perfected  state,  it  is  the  consummation  of  experimental 
effort,  through  a  long  and  tedious  process,  beset  with  difficulties  of  the 
most  perplexing  and  often  disheartening  kind.  Without  precedent,  hav- 
ing to  deal  with  natural  forces  of  prodigious  power,  repeatedly  encoun- 
tering unexpected  difficulties,  meeting  with  accidents,  obliged  continually 
to  devise  improvements  upon  our  several  inventions,  and  continually 
combating  a  surly  discontent  and  sometimes  violent  opposition  from 
those  subjected  to  the  sanitary  processes,  while  these  were  still  in  an  im- 
perfect and  unsatisfactory  stage  of  development,  the  modernizing  of  quar- 
antine, and  bringing  it  into  line  with  other  branches  of  science  and  art  in 
the  general  progress,  has  been  an  expensive  and  difficult  task. 

We  submit  to  your  honorable  committee  the  foregoing  plans  and  speci- 
fications of  the  "  System  of  Quarantine  "  established  by  the  state  of  Lou- 
isiana, in  order  to  place  the  results  of  our  experience  in  the  hands  of  those 
who,  like  ourselves,  are  compelled  to  resist  pestilential  invasion  by  mar- 
itime quarantine.  We  do  this,  encouraged  by  the  hope  that  others  may 
find  in  these  results  matter  worthy  of  consideration,  and  beneficial  in 
strengthening  their  defences  against  a  common  enemy. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  OAT  DISINFECTANTS. 


231 


THE  FOLLOWING  ARE  THE  REQUIREMENTS  IMPOSED  UPON  ALL  VESSELS 
ARRIVING  AT  THE  QUARANTINE  STATIONS  IN  THE  STATE  OF  LOU- 
ISIANA, DURING  THE  QUARANTINE  PERIOD,  BEGINNH^G  ABOUT  MAY 
I  St    AND    ENDING    OCTOBER    3 1  ST. 

All  vessels  arriving  at  the  several  quarantine  stations  in  the  state,  to- 
gether with  their  crews,  passengers,  and  their  cargoes,  shall  be  subjected 
to  the  inspection  of  the  quarantine  officers  at  the  said  stations.  All  ves- 
sels, together  with  their  cargoes,  crews,  passengers,  and  baggage,  arriv- 
ing at  the  Mississippi  Quarantine  Station  from  intertropical  American 
and  West  Indian  ports,  shall  be  subjected  to  thorough  maritime  sanita- 
tion, according  to  the  following  schedule  : 

First  Class — Vessels  arriving  from  non-infected  ports. 

Second  Class — Vessels  arriving  from  suspected  ports. 

Third  Class — Vessels  arriving  from  ports  known  to  be  infected. 

Fourth  Class — Vessels  which,  without  regard  to  port  of  departure,  are 
infected  ;  that  is  to  say,  vessels  which  have  yellow  fever,  cholera,  or 
other  contagious  or  infectious  diseases  on  board  at  time  of  arrival,  or 
have  had  same  on  voyage. 

Vessels  of  the  first  class  to  be  subjected  to  necessary  maritime  sanita- 
tion at  the  Upper  Quarantine  Station,  without  detention  of  either  vessels 
or  persons,  longer  than  may  be  necessary  to  place  such  vessels  in  perfect 
sanitary  condition. 

Vessels  of  the  second  and  third  classes  to  undergo  the  same  conditions, 
together  with  detention  for  observation  for  a  period  of  five  (5)  full  days 
from  hour  of  arrival  in  quarantine. 

Vessels  of  the  fourth  class  to  be  remanded  to  the  Lower  Quarantine 
Station,  there  to  undergo  sanitation  and  detention  of  vessels  and  persons 
such  length  of  time  as  the  board  of  health  may  order. 

The  five  days'  detention,  as  above  provided,  shall  apply  to  all  ports  of 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  Caribbean  Sea,  exception  being  made  in 
regard  to  vessels  coming  from  ports  south  of  the  Equator,  whose  period 
of  detention  shall  be  three  (3)  days. 

All  vessels  arriving  from  Mediterranean  or  other  ports  known  or  sus- 
pected to  be  infected  with  cholera,  or  which  may  hereafter  become  in- 
fected, shall  be  subjected  to  maritime  sanitation  and  such  detention  as  the 
board  of  health  may  determine. 

Vessels  arriving  from  the  above  named  ports  and  places,  and  belong- 
ing to  the  second,  third,  or  fourth  class,  as  set  forth  in  the  foregoing 
schedule,  shall  not  be  allowed  to  pass  the  Rigolets  or  Atchafalaya  Quar- 
antine Stations,  or  other  state  quarantine  stations  which  may  hereafter 
be  established,  without  having  undergone  a  period  of  detention  of  forty 
(40)  days,  and  thorough  cleansing  and  disinfection. 

SPECIAL      SUGGESTIONS      TO     OWNERS,     AGENTS,     MASTERS     OF     VESSELS, 

AND    PASSENGERS. 

The  Louisiana  State  Board  of  Health  recommends  the  following  sug- 
gestions to  agents,  owners,   masters  of  vessels,  and  passengers,  for  the 


232  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTAXTS. 

purpose  of  facilitating  the  work  of  quarantine  officers,  and  reducing  the 
period  of  detention  to  a  minimum  : 

1.  That  vessels  should  be  stripped  during  the  quarantine  season  of  all 
woollen  hangings,  carpets,  curtains,  and  such  like  materials,  and  uphol- 
stered furniture,  so  far  as  practicable.  Hair  or  moss  mattresses  to  be 
replaced  by  wire  or  wicker  beds. 

2.  That,  so  far  as  possible,  vessels  trading  with  tropical  ports  should 
be  manned  with  acclimated  crews. 

3.  Masters  of  vessels,  ship  and  consular  agents,  are  earnestly  requested 
to  instruct  passengers  from  quarantinable  ports  to  dispense,  so  far  as 
possible,  with  baggage  which  may  be  injured  by  wetting,  in  case  of  pes- 
tilential outbreak  on  board,  while  undergoing  disinfection.  Such  pas- 
sengers are  especially  warned  against  bringing  silks,  laces,  velvets,  and 
other  fabrics  of  delicate  texture,  as  they  will  be  compelled  to  assume  all 
risks  of  injury. 

4.  While  in  ports  infected  with  yellow  fever,  vessels  should  be  an- 
chored out  in  the  harbor  when  this  is  possible,  and  the  crew  prohibited 
from  going  ashore,  especially  at  night. 

5.  When  practicable,  cargoes  should  be  loaded  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  allow  access  to  the  pumps,  and  also  to  enable  the  quarantine  officials 
to  pump  out  and  wash  the  bilge. 

6.  Special  attention  should  be  given  to  cleanliness  of  vessels  and  per- 
sons, and  provision  should  be  made  for  all  possible  ventilation  of  the 
entire  vessel.  The  best  disinfectants  and  instructions  for  using  same  can 
be  obtained  by  application  to  the  board  of  health,  or  any  of  its  officers. 

7.  Masters  should,  before  arrival,  see  that  the  bilge  is  thoroughly 
pumped  out  and  cleansed,  and  that  the  entire  vessel  be  put  in  such  good 
sanitary  condition  as  to  permit  of  the  least  possible  detention.  Fruit 
vessels  particularly  should  be  kept  thoroughly  cleansed,  for  the  purpose 
of  avoiding  delay  at  the  Quarantine  Station. 

8.  Vessels  observing  the  above  recommendations  will  receive  special 
consideration  at  the  quarantine  station,  detention  and  cost  of  cleaning, 
disinfecting,  etc.,  being  materially  lessened  thereby. 


2.33 


CONCLUSIONS. 

The  experimental  evidence  recorded  in  this  report  seems  to  justify  the 
following  conclusions : 

The  most  useful  agents  for  the  destruction  of  spore-containing  infec- 
tious material  are, — 

i.   Fire.     Complete  destruction  by  burning. 

2.  Steam  under  pressure.     1050  C.  (22 1°  Fahr.)  for  ten  minutes. 

3.  Boiling  in  water  for  half  an  hour. 

4.  Chloride  of  lime}     A  4  per  cent,  solution. 

5.  Mercuric  chloride.     A  solution  of  1  :  500. 

For  the  destruction  of  infectious  material  which  owes  its  infecting 
power  to  the  presence  of  micro-organisms  not  containing  spores,  the 
committee  recommends, — 

1.  Fire.     Complete  destruction  by  burning. 

2.  Boiling  in  water  for  ten  minutes. 

3.  Dry  heat.     no°  C.  (2300  Fahr.)  for  two  hours. 

4.  Chloride  of  lime.     A  2  per  cent,  solution. 

5.  Solution  of  chlorinated  soda?     A  10  per  cent,  solution. 

6.  Mercuric  chloride.     A  solution  of  1  :  2,000. 

7.  Carbolic  acid.     A  5  per  cent,  solution. 

8.  Sulphate  of  copper.     A  5  per  cent,  solution. 

9.  Chloride  of  zinc.     A  10  per  cent,  solution. 

10.   Sulphur  dioxide?     Exposure  for  twelve   hours  to  an  atmosphere 
containing  at  least  4  volumes  per  cent,  of  this  gas  in   presence  of 
moisture. 
The    committee   would    make    the    following    recommendations   with 
reference  to  the  practical  application  of  these  agents  for  disinfecting  pur- 
poses : 

FOR    EXCRETA. 

(a)   In  the  sick-room  : 

1.  Chloride  of  lime  in  solution,  4  per  cent. 
In  the  absence  of  spores  : 

2.  Carbolic  acid  in  solution,  5  per  cent. 

3.  Sulphate  of  copper  in  solution,  5  per  cent. 
(6)   In  privy  vaults  : 

1.  Mercuric  chloride  in  solution,  1  :  500.4 

2.  Carbolic  acid  in  solution,  5  per  cent. 

1  Should  contain  at  least  25  per  cent,  of  available  chlorine. 

2  Should  contain  at  least  3  per  cent,  of  available  chlorine. 

3  This  will  require  the  combustion  of  between  3  and  4  lbs.  of  sulphur  for  every  1,000  cubic  feet  of 
air  space. 

4  The  addition  of  an  equal  quantity  of  potassium  permanganate  as  a  deodorant,  and  to  give  color 
to  the  solution,  is  to  be  recommended. 


234  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

(c)   For  the  disinfection  and  deodorization  of  the  surface  of  masses  of 
organic  material  in  privy  vaults,  etc.  : 
Chloride  of  lime  in  powder. 

FOR    CLOTHING,    BEDDING,    ETC. 

(a)  Soiled  underclothing,  bed-linen,  etc.  : 

1.  Destruction  by  fire,  if  of  little  value. 

2.  Boiling  for  at  least  half  an  hour. 

3.  Immersion   in   a   solution   of  mercuric  chloride  of  the  strength  of 

1  :  2,000  for  four  hours. 

4.  Immersion   in   a   2   per   cent,    solution   of  carbolic  acid  for  four 

hours. 
(3)   Outer  garments  of  wool  or  silk,  and  similar  articles,  which  would 
be  injured  by  immersion  in  boiling  water  or  in  a  disinfecting  solution  : 

1.  Exposure  in   a    suitable   apparatus  to  a  current  of  steam  for  ten 

minutes. 

2.  Exposure  to  dry  heat  at  a  temperature   of  no°  C.  (2300  Fahr.) 

for  two  hours, 
(c)   Mattresses  and  blankets  soiled  by  the  discharges  of  the  sick  : 

1.  Destruction  by  fire. 

2.  Exposure  to   super-heated    steam,   1050  C.  (2210  Fahr.)   for  ten 

minutes. 

(Mattresses  to  have  the  cover  removed  or  freely  opened.) 

3.  Immersion  in  boiling  water  for  half  an  hour. 

FURNITURE    AND    ARTICLES    OF  WOOD,   LEATHER,    AND    PORCELAIN. 

Washing,  several  times  repeated,  with, — 
1.   Solution  of  carbolic  acid,  2  per  cent. 

FOR    THE    PERSON. 

The   hands  and  general  surface  of  the  body  of  attendants  of  the  sick, 
and  of  convalescents,  should  be  washed  with, — 

1.  Solution   of  chlorinated   soda  diluted  with   nine   parts   of  water, 

1  :  10. 

2.  Carbolic  acid,  2  per  cent,  solution. 

3.  Mercuric  chloride,  1  :  1,000. 

FOR    THE    DEAD. 

Envelop  the  body  in  a  sheet  thoroughly  saturated  with, — 

1.  Chloride  of  lime  in  solution,  4  per  cent. 

2.  Mercuric  chloride  in  solution,  1  :  500. 

3.  Carbolic  acid  in  solution,  5  per  cent. 

FOR    THE    SICK-ROOM    AND    HOSPITAL    WARDS. 

(a)   While  occupied,  wash  all  surfaces  with, — 

1.  Mercuric  chloride  in  solution,  1  :  1,000. 

2.  Carbolic  acid  in  solution,  2  per  cent. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  235 

(3)  When  vacated,  fumigate  with  sulphur  dioxide  for  twelve  hours, 
burning  at  least  three  pounds  of  sulphur  for  every  1,000  cubic  feet  of 
air-space  in  the  room  ;  then  wash  all  surfaces  with  one  of  the  above- 
mentioned  disinfecting  solutions,  and  afterward  with  soap  and  hot  water  ; 
finally  throw  open  doors  and  windows,  and  ventilate  freely. 

FOR    MERCHANDISE    AND    THE    MAILS. 

The  disinfection  of  merchandise  and  of  the  mails  will  only  be  required 
under  exceptional  circumstances ;  free  aeration  will  usually  be  sufficient. 
If  disinfection  seems  necessary,  fumigation  with  sulphur  dioxide  will  be 
the  only  practicable  method  of  accomplishing  it  without  injury. 

RAGS. 

(a)  Rags  which  have  been  used  for  wiping  away  infectious  discharges 
should  at  once  be  burned. 

(J>)  Rags  collected  for  the  paper-makers  during  the  prevalence  of  an 
epidemic  should  be  disinfected  before  they  are  compressed  in  bales  by, — 

1.  Exposure  to  super-heated  steam  of  1050  C.  (2210  Fahr.)  for  ten 

minutes. 

2.  Immersion  in  boiling  water  for  half  an  hour. 

SHIPS. 

(a)  Infected  ships  at  sea  should  be  washed  in  every  accessible  place, 
and  especially  the  localities  occupied  by  the  sick,  with, — 

1.  Solution  of  mercuric  chloride,  1  :  1,000. 

2.  Solution  of  carbolic  acid,  2  per  cent. 

The  bilge  should  be  disinfected  by  the  liberal  use  of  a  strong  solution 
of  mercuric  chloride. 

(6)  Upon  arrival  at  a  quarantine  station,  an  infected  ship  should  at 
once  be  fumigated  with  sulphurous  acid  gas,  using  three  pounds  of  sul- 
phur for  every  1,000  cubic  feet  of  air-space;  the  cargo  should  then  be 
discharged  on  lighters  ;  a  liberal  supply  of  the  concentrated  solution  of 
mercuric  chloride  (4  oz.  to  the  gallon)  should  be  thrown  into  the  bilge, 
and  at  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours  the  bilge-water  should  be  pumped 
out  and  replaced  with  pure  sea-water  :  this  should  be  repeated.  A  sec- 
ond fumigation,  after  the  removal  of  the  cargo,  is  recommended  ;  all 
accessible  surfaces  should  be  washed  with  one  of  the  disinfecting  solu- 
tions heretofore  recommended,  and  subsequently  with  soap  and  hot 
water. 

FOR    RAILWAY    CARS. 

The  directions  given  for  the  disinfection  of  dwellings,  hospital  wards, 
and  ships,  apply  as  well  to  infected  railway  cars.  The  treatment  of 
excreta  with  a  disinfectant,  before  they  are  scattered  along  the  tracks, 
seems  desirable  at  all  times  in  view  of  the  fact  that  they  may  contain 
infectious  germs.  During  the  prevalence  of  an  epidemic  of  cholera  this 
is  imperative.  For  this  purpose  the  standard  solution  of  chloride  of 
lime  is  recommended. 


236  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 


At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Sanitary  Council  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley,  held  in  New  Orleans,  La.,  March  10,  11,  1885,  the  following 
resolution  was  adopted  : 

Resolved,  That  the  secretary  request  from  the  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Disinfec- 
tants, appointed  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  American  Public  Health  Association,  a  plain, 
practical  paper  on  "  Disinfection  and  Disinfectants,"  for  popular  use  and  distribution,  to 
be  furnished  to  the  chairman  of  the  special  committee  of  this  council  on  General  Sanita- 
tion. 

In  compliance  with  this  request  a  Preliminary  Report  was  prepared, 
which  has  been  quite  widely  circulated.  This  report  having  been  made 
before  the  experimental  researches  of  the  committee  were  completed, 
and  being  a  "  preliminary  report,"  was  only  intended  to  serve  a  tempo- 
rary purpose  ;  but  it  has  been  thought  best  to  revise  it,  and  to  introduce 
it  into  this  our  final  report,  so  that  it  may  be  available  for  distribution  in 
a  separate  form  if  sanitary  officials  find  it  suitable  for  popular  use. 

DISINFECTION    AND     DISINFECTANTS. 

The  object  of  disinfection  is  to  prevent  the  extension  of  infectious  dis- 
eases by  destroying  the  specific  infectious  material  which  gives  rise  to 
them.  This  is  accomplished  by  the  use  of  disinfectants. 
,  There  can  be  no  partial  disinfection  of  such  material :  either  its  infect- 
ing power  is  destroyed,  or  it  is  not.  In  the  latter  case  there  is  a  failure  to 
disinfect.  *Nor  can  there  be  any  disinfection  in  the  absence  of  infectious 
material. 

It  has  been  proved  for  several  kinds  of  infectious  material,  that  its 
specific  infecting  power  is  due  to  the  presence  of  living  micro-organisms, 
known  in  a  general  way  as  "  disease  germs ;"  and  practical  sanitation  is 
now  based  upon  the  belief  that  the  infecting  agents  in  all  kinds  of  infec- 
tious material  are  of  this  nature.  Disinfection,  therefore,  consists  essen- 
tially in  the  destruction  of  disease  germs. 

Popularly,  the  term  disinfection  is  used  in  a  much  broader  sense. 
Any  chemical  agent  which  destroys  or  masks  bad  odors,  or  which  arrests 
putrefactive  decomposition,  is  spoken  of  as  a  disinfectant.  And  in  the 
absence  of  any  infectious  disease  it  is  common  to  speak  of  disinfecting  a 
foul  cesspool,  or  bad  smelling  stable,  or  privy  vault. 

This  popular  use  of  the  term  has  led  to  much  misapprehension,  and 
the  agents  which  have  been  found  to  destroy  bad  odors — deodorizers — 
or  to  arrest  putrefactive  decomposition — antiseptics — have  been  confi- 
dently recommended  and  extensively  used  for  the  destruction  of  disease 
germs  in  the  excreta  of  patients  with  cholera,  typhoid  fever,  etc. 

The  injurious  consequences  which  are  likely  to  result  from  such  mis- 
apprehension and  misuse  of  the  word  disinfectant  will  be  appreciated 
when  it  is  known  that  recent  researches  have  demonstrated  that  many  of 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS.  237 

the  agents  which  have  been  found  useful  as  deodorizers,  or  as  antiseptics, 
are  entirely  without  value  for  the  destruction  of  disease  germs. 

This  is  true,  for  example,  as  regards  the  sulphate  of  iron  or  copperas, 
a  salt  which  has  been  extensively  used  with  the  idea  that  it  is  a  valuable 
disinfectant.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  sulphate  of  iron  in  saturated  solution 
does  not  destroy  the  vitality  of  disease  germs,  or  the  infecting  power  of 
material  containing  them.  This  salt  is,  nevertheless,  a  very  valuable 
antiseptic,  and  its  low  price  makes  it  one  of  the  most  available  agents  for 
the  arrest  of  putrefactive  decomposition. 

Antiseptic  agents,  however,  exercise  a  restraining  influence  upon  the 
development  of  disease  germs,  and  their  use  during  epidemics  is  to  be 
recommended  when  masses  of  organic  material  in  the  vicinity  of  human 
habitations  cannot  be  completely  destroyed,  or  removed,  or  disinfected. 

While  an  antiseptic  agent  is  not  necessarily  a  disinfectant,  all  disin- 
fectants are  antiseptics ;  for  putrefactive  decomposition  is  due  to  the 
development  of  "germs"  of  the  same  class  as  that  to  which  disease 
germs  belong,  and  the  agents  which  destroy  the  latter  also  destroy  the 
bacteria  of  putrefaction  when  brought  in  contact  with  them  in  sufficient 
quantity,  or  restrain  their  development  when  present  in  smaller  amounts. 
A  large  number  of  the  proprietary  "  disinfectants,"  so-called,  which  are 
in  the  market,  are  simply  deodorizers  or  antiseptics,  of  greater  or  less 
value,  and  are  entirely  untrustworthy  for  disinfecting  purposes. 

Antiseptics  are  to  be  used  at  all  times  when  it  is  impracticable  to 
remove  filth  from  the  vicinity  of  human  habitations,  but  they  are  a  poor 
substitute  for  cleanliness.  During  the  prevalence  of  epidemic  diseases, 
such  as  yellow  fever,  typhoid  fever,  and  cholera,  it  is  better  to  use  in 
privy-vaults,  cess-pools,  etc.,  those  antiseptics  which  are  also  disinfec- 
tants, i.  £.,  germicides  ;  and  when  the  contents  of  such  receptacles  are 
known  to  be  infected,  this  becomes  imperative. 

Still  more  important  is  the  destruction  at  our  seaport  quarantine  sta- 
tions of  infectious  material  which  has  its  origin  outside  of  the  boundaries 
of  the  United  States,  and  the  destruction,  within  our  boundaries,  of 
infectious  material  given  off  from  the  persons  of  those  attacked  with  any 
infectious  disease,  whether  imported  or  of  indigenous  origin. 

In  the  sick-room  we  have  disease  germs  at  an  advantage,  for  we  know 
where  to  find  them  as  well  as  how  to  kill  them.  Having  this  knowledge, 
not  to  apply  it  would  be  criminal  negligence,  for  our  efforts  to  restrict 
the  extension  of  infectious  diseases  must  depend  largely  upon  the  proper 
use  of  disinfectants  in  the  sick-room. 

GENERAL    DIRECTIONS. 

Disinfection  of  Excreta,  etc.  The  infectious  character  of  the  dejec- 
tions of  patients  suffering  from  cholera  and  from  typhoid  fever  is  well 
established;  and  this  is  true  of  mild  cases  and  of  the  earliest  stages  of 
these  diseases  as  well  as  of  severe  and  fatal  cases.  It  is  probable  that 
epidemic  dysentery,  tuberculosis,  and  perhaps  diphtheria,  yellow  fever, 


238  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

scarlet  fever,  and  typhus  fever,  may  also  be  transmitted  by  means  of  the 
alvine  discharges  of  the  sick.  It  is  therefore  of  the  first  importance  that 
these  should  be  disinfected.  In  cholera,  diphtheria,  yellow  fever,  and 
scarlet  fever,  all  vomited  material  should  also  be  looked  upon  as  infec- 
tious. And  in  tuberculosis,  diphtheria,  scarlet  fever,  and  infectious 
pneumonia,  the  sputa  of  the  sick  should  be  disinfected  or  destroyed  by 
fire.  It  seems  advisable  also  to  treat  the  urine  of  patients  sick  with  an 
infectious  disease  with  one  of  the  disinfecting  solutions  below  recom- 
mended. 

Chloride  of  lime,  or  bleaching  powder,  is  perhaps  entitled  to  the  first 
place  for  disinfecting  excreta,  on  account  of  the  rapidity  of  its  action. 
The  following  standard  solution  is  recommended : 

Dissolve  chloride  of  lime  of  the  best  quality1  in  pure  ivater,  in  the 
proportion  of  six  ounces  to  the  gallon. 

Use  one  quart  of  this  solution  for  the  disinfection  of  each  discharge  in 
cholera,  tjphoid  fever,  etc.2  Mix  well,  and  leave  in  the  vessel  for  at 
least  one  hour  before  throwing  into  privy  vault  or  water-closet.  The 
same  directions  apply  for  the  disinfection  of  vomited  matters.  Infected 
sputum  should  be  discharged  directly  into  a  cup  half  full  of  the  solution. 
A  five  per  cent,  solution  of  carbolic  acid  may  be  used  instead  of  the 
chloride  of  lime  solution,  the  time  of  exposure  to  the  action  of  the  disin* 
fectant  being  four  hours. 

Disinfection  of  the  person.  The  surface  of  the  body  of  a  sick  per* 
son,  or  of  his  attendants,  when  soiled  with  infectious  discharges,  should 
be  at  once  cleansed  with  a  suitable  disinfecting  agent.  For  this  purpose 
solution  of  chlorinated  soda  (liquor  sodas  chlorinata&)  diluted  with  nine 
parts  of  water,  or  the  standard  solution  of  chloride  of  lime  diluted  with 
three  parts  of  water,  maybe  used.  A  2  per  cent,  solution  of  carbolic 
acid  is  also  suitable  for  this  purpose,  and  under  proper  medical  supervi- 
sion the  use  of  a  solution  of  corrosive  sublimate — 1  :  1,000 — is  to  be 
recommended. 

In  diseases  like  small-pox  and  scariet  fever,  in  whicn  the  infectious 
agent  is  given  off  from  the  entire  surface  of  the  body,  occasional  ablu- 
tions with  the  above  mentioned  solution  of  chlorinated  soda  are  recom- 
mended. 

In  all  infectious  diseases  the  boay  of  the  aead  should  be  enveloped  in 
a  sheet  saturated  with  the  standard  solution  of  chloride  of  lime,  or  with 
a  5  per  cent,  solution  of  carbolic  acid,  or  a  1  :  500  solution  of  corrosive 
sublimate. 

Disinfection  of  clothing.  Boiling  for  half  an  hour  will  destroy  the 
vitality  of  all  known  disease  germs,  and  there  is  no  better  way  of  disin- 
fecting clothing  or  bedding  which  can  be  washed  than  to  put  it  through 

1  Good  chloride  of  lime  should  contain  at  least  25  per  cent,  of  available  chlorine  (page  92).  It 
may  be  purchased  by  the  quantity  at  3^  cents  per  pound.  The  cost  of  the  standard  solution  rec- 
ommended is  therefore  but  little  more  than  one  cent  a  gallon.  A  clear  solution  may  be  obtained  by 
filtration  or  by  decantation,  but  the  insoluble  sediment  does  no  harm,  and  this  is  an  unnecessary 
refinement. 

*  For  a  very  copious  discharge,  use  a  large  quantity. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  239 

the  ordinary  operations  of  the  laundry.  No  delay  should  occur,  how- 
ever, between  the  time  of  removing  soiled  clothing  from  the  person  or 
bed  of  the  sick  and  its  immersion  in  boiling  water,  or  in  one  of  the  fol- 
lowing solutions  until  this  can  be  done : 

Corrosive  sublimate,  one  drachm  to  the  gallon  of  water  (about 
1  :  1,000),  or, — 

Carbolic  acid,  pure,  one  ounce  to  the  gallon  of  water  (1  :  128). 

The  articles  to  be  disinfected  must  be  thoroughly  soaked  with  the  dis- 
infecting solution  and  left  in  it  for  at  least  two  hours,  after  which  they 
may  be  wrung  out  and  sent  to  the  wash. 

N.  B.  Solutions  of  corrosive  sublimate  should  not  be  placed  in  metal 
receptacles,  for  the  salt  is  decomposed  and  the  mercury  precipitated  by 
contact  with  copper,  lead,  or  tin.  A  wooden  tub  or  earthen  crock  is  a 
suitable  receptacle  for  such  solutions. 

Clothing  or  bedding  which  cannot  be  washed  should  be  disinfected  by 
steam  in  a  properly  constructed  disinfection  chamber.  In  the  absence 
of  a  suitable  steam  disinfecting  apparatus,  infected  clothing  and  bedding 
should  be  burned. 

Disinfection  of  the  sick-room.  In  the  sick-room  no  disinfectant  can 
take  the  place  of  free  ventilation  and  cleanliness.  It  is  an  axiom  in  san- 
itary science  that  it  is  impracticable  to  disinfect  an  occupied  apartment 
for  the  reason  that  disease  germs  are  not  destroyed  by  the  presence  in 
the  atmosphere  of  any  known  disinfectant  in  respirable  quantity.  Bad 
odors  may  be  neutralized,  but  this  does  not  constitute  disinfection  in  the 
sense  in  which  the  term  is  here  used.  These  bad  odors  are,  for  the  most 
part,  an  indication  of  want  of  cleanliness,  or  of  proper  ventilation  ;  and 
it  is  better  to  turn  contaminated  air  out  of  the  window  or  up  the  chimney 
than  to  attempt  to  purify  it  by  the  use  of  volatile  chemical  agents,  such 
as  carbolic  acid,  chlorine,  etc.,  which  are  all  more  or  less  offensive  to 
the  sick,  and  are  useless  so  far  as  disinfection — properly  so  called — is 
concerned. 

When  an  apartment  which  has  been  occupied  by  a  person  sick  with 
an  infectious  disease  has  been  vacated,  it  should  be  disinfected.  The 
object  of  disinfection  in  the  sick-room  is  mainly  the  destruction  of  infec- 
tious material  attached  to  surfaces,  or  deposited  as  dust  upon  window 
ledges,  in  crevices,  etc.  If  the  room  has  been  properly  cleansed  and 
ventilated  while  still  occupied  by  the  sick  person,  and  especially  if  it  was 
stripped  of  carpets  and  unnecessary  furniture  at  the  outset  of  his  attack, 
the  difficulties  of  disinfection  will  be  greatly  reduced. 

All  surfaces  should  be  thoroughly  washed  with  the  standard  solution 
of  chloride  of  lime  diluted  with  three  parts  of  water,  or  with  1  :  1,000 
solution  of  corrosive  sublimate.  The  walls  and  ceiling,  if  plastered, 
should  be  subsequently  treated  with  a  lime-wash.  Especial  care  must 
be  taken  to  wash  away  all  dust  from  window  ledges  and  other  places 
where  it  may  have  settled,  and  thoroughly  to  cleanse  crevices  and  out-of- 
the-way  places.  After  this  application  of  the  disinfecting  solution,  and 
an  interval  of  twenty-four  hours  or  longer  for  free  ventilation,  the  floors 


24O  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

and  wood- work  should  be  well  scrubbed  with  soap  and  hot  water,  and 
this  should  be  followed  by  a  second  more  prolonged  exposure  to  fresh 
air,  admitted  through  open  doors  and  windows. 

As  an  additional  precaution,  fumigation  with  sulphurous  acid  gas  is  to 
be  recommended,  especially  for  rooms  which  have  been  occupied  by 
patients  with  small-pox,  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria,  typhus  fever,  and  yellow 
fever.  But  fumigation  with  sulphurous  acid  gas  alone,  as  commonly 
practised,  cannot  be  relied  upon  for  disinfection  of  the  sick-room  and  its 
contents,  including  bedding,  furniture,  infected  clothing,  etc.,  as  is  pop- 
ularly believed. 

When  fumigation  is  practised,  it  should  precede  the  general  washing 
with  a  disinfecting  solution,  heretofore  recommended.  To  ensure  any 
results  of  value,  it  will  be  necessary  to  close  the  apartment  to  be  disin- 
fected as  completely  as  possible  by  stopping  all  apertures  through  which 
the  gas  might  escape,  and  to  burn  not  less  than  three  pounds  of  sulphur 
for  each  thousand  cubic  feet  of  air  space  in  the  room.  To  secure  com- 
plete combustion  of  the  sulphur,  it  should  be  placed  in  powder  or  in 
small  fragments,  in  a  shallow  iron  pan,  which  should  be  set  upon  a 
couple  of  bricks  in  a  tub  partly  filled  with  water,  to  guard  against  fire. 
The  sulphur  should  be  thoroughly  moistened  with  alcohol  before  ig- 
niting it. 

Disinfection  of  privy  vaults,  cesspools,  etc.  When  the  excreta  (not 
previously  disinfected)  of  patients  with  cholera  or  typhoid  fever  have 
been  thrown  into  a  privy  vault,  this  is  infected,  and  disinfection  should 
be  resorted  to  as  soon  as  the  fact  is  discovered,  or  whenever  there  is 
reasonable  suspicion  that  such  is  the  case.  It  will  be  advisable  to  take 
the  same  precautions  with  reference  to  privy  vaults  into  which  the 
excreta  of  yellow  fever  patients  have  been  throw,  although  we  do  not 
definitely  know  that  this  is  infectious  material. 

For  this  purpose  the  standard  solution  of  chloride  of  lime  may  be  used 
in  quantity  proportioned  to  the  amount  of  material  to  be  disinfected,  but 
where  this  is  considerable  it  will  scarcely  be  practicable  to  sterilize  the 
whole  mass.  The  liberal  and  repeated  use  of  this  solution,  or  of  a  5  per 
cent,  solution  of  carbolic  acid,  will,  however,  disinfect  the  surface  of  the 
mass,  and  is  especially  to  be  recommended  during  the  epidemic  preva- 
lence of  typhoid  fever  or  of  cholera. 

All  exposed  portions  of  the  vault,  and  the  wood-work  above  it,  should 
be  thoroughly  washed  down  with  the  disinfecting  solution.  Instead  of 
the  disinfecting  solutions  recommended,  chloride  of  lime  in  powder  may 
be  daily  scattered  over  the  contents  of  the  privy  vault. 

Disinfection  of  ingesta.  It  is  well  established  that  cholera  and 
typhoid  fever  are  very  frequently,  and  perhaps  usually,  transmitted 
through  the  medium  of  infected  water  or  articles  of  food,  and  especially 
milk.  Fortunately  we  have  a  simple  means  at  hand  for  disinfecting  such 
infected  fluids.  This  consists  in  the  application  of  heat.  The  boiling 
temperature  maintained  for  half  an  hour  kills  all  known  disease  germs. 
So  far  as  the  germs  of  cholera,  yellow  fever,  and  diphtheria  are   con- 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  241 

cerned,  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  a  temperature  considerably 
below  the  boiling  point  of  water  will  destroy  them.  But  in  order  to 
keep  on  the  safe  side,  it  is  best  not  to  trust  anything  short  of  the  boiling 
point  (21 2°  F.)  when  the  object  is  to  disinfect  food  or  drink  which  is 
open  to  the  suspicion  of  containing  the  germs  of  any  infectious  disease. 

During  the  prevalence  of  an  epidemic  of  cholera  it  is  well  to  boil  all 
water  for  drinking  purposes.  After  boiling,  the  water  may  be  filtered,  if 
necessary  to  remove  sediment,  and  then  cooled  with  pure  ice,  if  desired. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  FROM  1880  TO  1888. 
Compiled  by  GEORGE  H.  ROHE\  M.  D.,  Secretary  of  the  Committee. 

The  following  list  of  titles  supplements  and  brings  up  to  date  the 
excellent  bibliography  of  the  older  literature  on  disinfection  and  disin- 
fectants given  in  the  third  volume  of  the  Index  Catalogue  of  the  National 
Medical  Library. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  list,  free  use  has  been  made  of  the  Index 
Medicus.  Indeed,  without  the  aid  of  that  valuable  publication  the  work 
would  not  have  been  undertaken.  It  is  hoped  the  present  compilation 
will  prove  useful  to  those  desiring  to  pursue  the  study  of  the  subject 
further  than  it  is  carried  in  this  volume. 

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REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  243 

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246  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

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248  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

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Lond.,  1880,  14  pp.     i2mo.     Also,  San.  Rec,  London,  1880. 
Klein,  E.     Experiments  on  the  disinfectant  power  of  various  phenyl  acids  and  salts. 

Rep.  med.  off.  Local  Gov't  Bd.     London,  1885.     188-190. 

On  air-disinfection.     Ibid,  187. 

Experiments  on  disinfecting  actions.     Rep.  med.  off.  Local  Gov't  Bd.     London,  1884, 

xiii,  111-130. 

Chlorine  as  an  air-disinfectant.     Ibid.  130-132. 

On  the  action  of  perchloride  of  mercury  on  bacteria.     Rept.  Local  Gov't  Bd.  Lond., 

i885-'86,  xv,  155-184. 
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dampfe  zu  Desinfectionszwecken.     Ibid,  1-19. 
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Martin,  A.  J.     Le  premier  etablissement  public  de  desinfection  de  la  ville  de  Berlin. 

Rev.  d'hyg.     Par.,  1886,  viii,  1001-1011. 
Etablissement  public  de  desinfection  installe  par  la  ville  de  Berlin.     Rec.  d.  trav. 

Comite  consult,  d'hyg.  pub.  de  France,  1886.     Par.,  1887,  xvi,  468-476. 

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Merke,  H.     Bemerkungen  iiber  den  fur  die  Stadt  Dusseldorf  bestimmten  Desinfections- 

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Gsndhtspflg.     Brnschwg,  1887,  xix,  311-317. 
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Miller,  y     Jeyes  disinfectant  purifier.     Pharm.  Zeitschr.  f.  Russland.     St.  Petersb.,  1883, 

xx:i,  705-707. 


250  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

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Morschell.  Ein  weiterer  Beitrag  zur  Frage  der  Desinfection  durch  trockne  Hitze. 
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Muter,  J.,  and  De  Koningh,  L.  Simple  suggestions  for  the  purchase  and  assay  of  com- 
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Pasteur,  L.,  et  L.  Colin,     fitablissement  a  Paris  d'etuves  publiques  pour  la  desinfection, 

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Patton,  G.  F.     The  fumigation  and  disinfection  of  vessels  and  cargoes,  with  special  refer- 
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REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  25 1 

Pouchet,  G.  La  desinfection  des  chiffons  employes  dans  l'industrie.  Rev.  d'hyg.,  Par., 
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Roth,  W.     Beseitigung   der   Abfalle    und    Desinfection.     Deutsche  Vrtljhrsschr.   f.   off. 

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Rep.  med.  off.  Local  Govt.  Bd.     London,  1884,  xiii,  101-110. 
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Ameisens'aure  als  Antisepticum.     Ibid.,  1885,  ii,  24. 

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ii,  No.  2,  pp.  201-212. 


REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS.  253 

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254  REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE   ON  DISINFECTANTS. 

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INDEX 


A.  Page . 

Abbott,  Dr.  A.  C,  quoted  or  mentioned 16,  40,  51,  123,  132 

Dr.  S.  W.,                          " 117 

Acid,  carbolic,  action  of,  upon  vaccine  lymph 28 

as  an  antiseptic 41,  82 

and  disinfectant 27 

experiments  with,  on  various  micro-organisms 160 

germicide  powers  of 29 

in  surgery 27 

better  than  mercuric  chloride,  when 166 

chromic 36 

hydrochloric,  as  a  disinfectant 34 

mineral,  action  of,  on  lead  pipes 37 

as  disinfectants 36 

nitric 36 

nitrous,  as  a  disinfectant 35 

osmic 36 

phenyl-acetic,  as  an  antiseptic 82 

phenyl-propionic,  as  an  antiseptic 82 

sulphuric,  as  a  disinfectant 35 

various,  as  a  product  of  putrefaction 82 

Aluminium,  tersulphite  of,  as  a  germicide yy 

Animals,  convulsions  in,  produced  by  mouldy  meal 184 

Anthrax  bacilli  (see  Bacilli  anthracis). 

ptomaines  in 202 

spores,  action  of  certain  acids  upon 8^ 

chlorinated  atmosphere  upon 23 

chromic  acid  upon 36 

hydrochloric  acid  upon 34 

mercuric  chloride  upon 42 

osmic  acid  upon 36 

Apparatus  for  the  Application  of  Dry  and  Moist  Heat  in  Disin- 
fection, by  Dr.  George  H.  Rohe, 89 

Aspergillus  nigrescens,  action  of  chlorinated  atmosphere  upon 24 

destruction  of 24,  25 

Bacilli  *  acidi  lactici 129,143 

action  of  heat  upon 137-149 

alvei 128,  145 

anthracis  .        .  10,  25,  26,  43,  44,  52,  57,  60,  61,  78,  79,  81,  145,  155,  196,  206,  208 

action  of  carbolic  acid  upon 30 

certain  disinfectants  on  spores  of 13 

The  various  bacilli  given  in  this  indejt  will  be  found  mentioned  in  various  other  places  in  con- 
nection with  experimental  work.     The  same  remark  applies  to  micrococci  and  spores. 


258  INDEX. 

Bacilli  anthracis,  action  of  cupric  sulphate  upon 39 

heat  upon 141 

hydrogen  peroxide  upon 22 

mercuric  chloride  upon 41 

moist  chlorinated  atmosphere  upon         ....       23 

permanganate  of  potassium  upon 20 

zinc  chloride  upon 40 

culture  of 125 

in  the  production  of  ptomaines 202 

Brieger's 127,  143 

butryicus 129,  145 

cholera .     202 

comma .120 

action  of  heat  upon 138 

crassus  sputigenus 128,  143 

cyanogenus 143 

Emmerich's 127,  143 

fluorescent 129,  143 

Friedlander's 127,  143,  155 

indicus 128,   143 

of  fowl  cholera, 24 

mouse-septicaemia,  culture  of 126,  142 

destroyed  in  chlorinated  atmosphere        ....       24 

schwinerothlauf .         .     126,  142 

prodigiosus 128,  143,  149 

punctum 31 

pyocyanus 128,  143 

relation  of,  to  blood  corpuscles 126 

spore-forming,  action  of  heat  upon 145 

subtilis      ....     39,40,43,45,60,61,64,78,80,81,82,84,85,86,129 

action  of  mercuric  chloride  upon 41 

agents  that  will  destroy 14 

effect  of  permanganate  of  potassium  upon 19 

power  of  resisting  heat  of 20 

used  as  a  test  of  germicide  powers 10 

syncyanum 129 

termo 26,  31,  32,  35,  85,  86 

tuberculosis 128 

action  of  heat  upon 148 

typhoid 123,  177 

action  of  calcium  oxide  upon 169 

carbolic  acid  upon 162 

cold  upon 150 

heat  upon 149 

mercuric  chloride  upon 159 

sulphate  of  copper  upon 167 

and  ptomaines 205 

destroyed  by  chloride  of  lime 154 

results  of  alternate  freezing  and  thawing  of 150 

various,  action  of  sulphate  of  copper  upon 167 

culture  of 121-123,  170 

effect  of  heat  upon 78 

experiments  with  carbolic  acid  upon 161 

chloride  of  lime  upon 155 

sulphurous  acid  gas  upon 60 


INDEX.  259 

Bacilli,  Wurtzel 129,  145 

Bacteria,  action  of  permanganate  of  potassium  upon .        .  20 

classification  of 178 

in  the  production  of  ptomaines 177 

of  fowl  cholera,  action  of  chlorinated  atmosphere  upon       ....  24 

putrefaction,  action  of  carbolic  acid  upon 31 

the  cause  of  putrefaction 177 

Bedding,  disinfection  of 234 

Bibliography  from  1880  to  1888,  by  Dr.  George  H.  Rohe       .        .        .  242 

Blood  corpuscles,  relation  of  bacilli  to 126 

septicemic,  action  of  sulphurous  acid  gas  upon 66 

Bolton,  Dr.  Meade,  quoted  or  mentioned      120,  134,  136,  138,  155,  159,  162,  164,  166,  168 

Boston,  quarantine  disinfecting  station  at 115 

Bromine,  when  an  efficient  disinfectant 26 

vapor,  action  of,  upon  various  germs 25 

C 

Calcium  oxide,  experiments  with,  as  a  disinfectant 169 

Carbolic  acid,  by  Dr.  Charles  Smart    . 26 

Cesspools,  disinfection  of 240 

Cheese,  poisoning,  symptoms  of 193 

poisonous 192 

experiments  with  poison  of 194 

spirillum 123 

action  of  heat  upon 138 

Chloride  of  lime,  available  chlorine  in  certain  preparations  of            ....  7 
Chlorine,  Bromine,  and  Iodine,  by  George  H.  Rohe    .       .       .       .       .23 

Chlorine,  action  of,  on  various  germs 24 

inconvenience  of,  as  a  disinfectant 25 

when  an  efficient  disinfectant 26 

Cholera,  action  of  heat  upon  spirillum  of 138 

Asiatic,  experiments  with  the  spirillum  of 120-124,  155 

discharges,  disinfection  of              .        .  ' 84 

experiments  with            179 

infantum  due  to  tyrotoxicon 206 

spirillum,  action  of  calcium  oxide  upon 169 

mercuric  chloride  upon 159 

various  disinfectants  upon 174 

culture  of 121 

experiments  with .        .  138 

the  ptomaines  of 202 

Clothing,  the  disinfection  of 234,  238 

Cogswell,  Dr.  Charles  H.,  quoted  or  mentioned 117 

Commercial  Disinfectants,  No.  1  and  No.  2,  by  Dr.  George  M.  Sternberg  8,  16 

Committee  on  disinfectants,  how  created 5 

members  of               .         . 15 

Considerations  Concerning  the  Practical  Use  of  Mercuric  Chlo- 
ride as  a  Disinfectant,  by  Dr.  Victor  C.  Vaughan                ...  47 

Copper,  sulphate  of,  a  favorite  disinfectant 38 

as  a  disinfectant 39 

experiments  with,  as  a  disinfectant 166 

Copperas 38 

Corrosive  sublimate  as  a  germicide 41 

Councilman,  Dr.  William  T.,  quoted  or  mentioned 148 

Creoline 165 


l6o  INDEX. 

Culture  experiments,  methods  used  in 133 

temperature  in 136 

flasks,  how  made 133 

fluids,  preparation  of 133 

Dead,  disinfection  of  the 234 

Deaths  from  poisonous  mussels 185 

Diarrhoea,  septic,  disinfection  of  discharges  of 84 

Diseases,  certain,  ptomaines  in 202 

Disinfectants,  commercial 8,  16 

list  of,  tested n 

value  of  certain 17 

committee  on,  preliminary  remarks  of  chairman  of      ....        7 

report  of,  for  1885 5 

1886  .        .        .  '     .        .        .        .87 

1887 118 

conclusions  regarding 118,  233 

the  most  efficient  non-destructive 87 

Disinfecting  agents,  various 173 

apparatus,  Bradford's  patent  "  safety  " 93 

another  form 94 

Dr.  Ransom's  self-regulating 9& 

Dusseldorf 114 

Fraser's  patent 9° 

Geneste,  Herscher  et  Cie's 104 

Jenning's 102 

Merke's 95 

Nelson's  patent 89 

Scott's  patent 102 

Schimmel's 113 

steam,  for  baled  rags,  etc.,  Parker  and  Blackman's        .         .112 

chest,  Dr.  Heron  Rogers's 9& 

closet,  Taylor's 103 

oven,  Raetke's 104 

station  at  Strasburg  .        .        . IX4 

Boston  and  New  Orleans  quarantines 115 

stove,  Dobroslavine's  "  Selhydric  " m 

movable,  Gibier's  . •        .107 

Disinfection  and  disinfectants 236 

apparatus  for  the  application  of  dry  and  moist  heat  in    .         *         .         .89 

requisites  of  a  good  (Parsons) 87 

as  practised  in  the  quarantine  system  of  Louisiana          .         .         .         .215 

bibliography  from  1880  to  1888 242 

conclusions  regarding 118,  233 

cost  of,  in  Berlin 2I° 

experiments  in,  test  organisms  employed  in 120 

with  germ  culture J34 

general  directions  regarding '  •     237 

of  cesspools 24° 

clothing,  bedding,  etc 234,  238 

excreta 233»  237 

furniture,  and  articles  of  wood,  leather,  and  porcelain        .        •        •     234 

ingesta 24° 

merchandise  and  the  mails 235 


INDEX.  26l 

Disinfection  of  privy  vaults  .         .        . 240 

rags Ii6,  235 

railway  cars 235 

ships 235 

with  bichloride  of  mercury 218 

the  dead 234 

person 234,  238 

sick-room  and  the  hospital  wards 234,  239 

practical  methods  of 208 

street  with  mercuric  bichloride 212 

with  calcium  oxide 169 

carbolic  acid 27,  160 

chemical  agents 212 

chloride  of  lime 153 

dry  heat 77,  87 

heat   . 137 

mercuric  chloride 43,  48,  157 

metallic  sulphates 38 

moist  heat 80 

potassium  permanganate 21 

steam 115,  209 

sulphate  of  copper 38,  39,  166 

sulphur 52,  77 

sulphurous  acid  gas 52 

oxide  fumigation 221 

Disinfection  with  Mineral  Acids,  by  Dr.  Victor  C.  Vaughan   .       .       .33 

Disinfector,  Henneberg's 209 

Leoni's  patent 101 

steam,  Benham  &  Sons' 106 

Bradford's 107 

Herscher  et  Cie's no 

Lyon's  patent 105 

Reek's  patent 105 

Dress  goods,  effect  of  sulphur  disinfection  upon 70 

Duggan,  Dr.  J.  R.,  quoted  or  mentioned 10,  12,  154 

on  the  germicide  power  of  the  hypochlorites        .        .        .        '13 

Durgin,  Dr.  S.  H.,  quoted  or  mentioned 115,  208,  212 

on  practical  experiments  with  moist  heat  (steam  under 

pressure)  as  a  disinfectant 115 

Eberth's  bacilli  (see  Bacilli,  typhoid). 

Ernst,  Dr.  H.  C,  quoted  or  mentioned 147 

Erysipelas,  micrococci  of,  destroyed  in  chlorinated  atmosphere          ....  24 

Excreta,  disinfection  of ,        .     233,  237 

Experimental  data,  commercial  disinfectants  No.  1 8 

Experiments  on  Burning  Sulphur  in  Closed  Booms,  under 

Direction  of  Dr.  J.  H.  Raymond 68 

Experiments  with  Sulphurus  Acid  Gas,  by  Dr.  J.  H.  Raymond    .       .  65 

:f 

Ferric  sulphate 39 

Finkler-Prior  spirillum,  action  of  heat  upon         .         .        .        »        .         .         .        .  138 

Flesh,  decomposing,  poison  contained  in 179 

Food  containing  poisonous  ptomaines 185 


262  INDEX. 

Fumigating  furnace 222 

Fumigation  with  sulphurous  oxide        . 221 

Furniture,  disinfection  of 234 

Germicide  Power  of  the  Hypochlorites,  by  Dr.  J.  R.  Duggan      .       .13 

Glanders,  virus  of,  experiments  with 54 

Gonococcus  of  Neisser,  action  of  heat  upon 146 

Griffin,  Dr.  Arthur  G.,  quoted  or  mentioned        .         . 117 

H 

Ham,  poisonous 191 

Heat,  action  of,  on  spirillum  of  cholera 138 

various  disease  germs 140 

application  of  dry  and  moist       .         .         . 224 

dry,  as  a  disinfectant 77>  87 

effec\  of,  on  micro-organisms  and  spores 137 

moist  as  a  disinfectant 80 

Holt,  Dr.  Joseph,  quoted  or  mentioned 88,  115,  208,  219 

on  quarantine  system  of  Louisiana.     Methods  of  disinfection 

practised 215 

Hospital  wards,  disinfection  of 234 

Hydrogen  Peroxide,  by  Dr.  George  M.  Sternberg 21 

Hydrophobia,  experiments  with 147 

I 

Ice-cream,  poisoning 200 

Ingesta,  disinfection  of ,  240 

Iodine,  disinfecting  power  of 26 

when  an  efficient  disinfectant 26 

Labarraque's  solution,  available  chlorine  in  certain  preparations  of  .         .         .         .17 

Lead  pipes,  action  of  mercuric  chloride  upon 49 

mineral  acids  upon 37 

Leather,  disinfection  of 234 

Leeds,  Prof.  Albert  R.,  quoted  or  mentioned 22 

Lime,  chloride  of,  experiments  with,  as  a  disinfectant 153 

in  the  disinfection  of  feces 84 

bi-sulphate  of,  as  a  germicide     .         . jj 

Liquor  sodae  chlorinate,  available  chlorine  in  certain  preparations  of                .  17 

Mails,  disinfection  of    . 235 

Meat,  poisonous 78 

canned 191 

(ham) 191 

Merchandise,  disinfection  of 235 

Mercuric  bichloride  in  the  disinfection  of  vessels 218 

not  dangerous  unless  swallowed 219 

Mercuric  Chloride,  by  Dr.  George  M.  Sternberg 41 

action  of,  upon  lead  pipes 49 

as  a  disinfectant 157 

experiments  with,  as  a  disinfectant    .         .         .         .         43,  48 

in  the  disinfection  of  feces 86 

strength  of  aqueous  solution  of,  necessary  to  destroy 

microorganisms      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         •  47 


INDEX.  263 

Mercury,  antiseptic  value  of  various  forms  of 51 

Methods  of  Practical  Disinfection,  by  Dr.  George  H.  Rohe    .       .         208 

Micrococci 20,  41,  60,  61,  62,  63 

action  of  carbolic  acid  upon •  162 

sulphate  of  copper  upon 168 

crepusculum 31 

gonorrhoea   .............  131 

of  erysipelas,  destroyed  in  chlorinated  atmosphere 24 

effect  of  bromine  vapor  upon 23 

fowl  cholera,  action  of  carbolic  acid  upon 30 

disinfected 26 

of  pus,  action  of  hydrogen  peroxide  upon 22 

destroyed 26 

septicaemia  destroyed 26 

swine  plague,  action  of  heat  upon 80 

Pasteuri 132 

prodigiosus 24,  58 

action  of  chlorinated  atmosphere  upon  24 

tetragenus 22,  24,  25,  39,  77,  131 

action  of  hydrogen  peroxide  upon 22 

zinc  sulphate  upon 39 

destroyed  in  a  chlorinated  atmosphere 24 

ureae 62,  63 

various 129 

action  of  heat  upon 78,  145 

experiments  with  sulphurous  acid  gas  upon           ....  60 

Micro-organisms,  methods  of  research  in     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  133 

various,  thermal  death-point  of 151 

Milk,  how  to  prevent  poisonous  fermentation  of 191 

poisoning 196 

epidemic  from 197 

Moist  Heat,  by  Dr.  George  M.  Sternberg 80 

Mussels,  poisonous,  deaths  from 185 

Pi" 

New  Orleans,  quarantine  disinfecting  station  at 115 

system  at 215 

I» 

Permanganate  of  potassium,  germicide  power  of 19 

Person,  disinfection  of  the .     234,  238 

Porcelain,  disinfection  of 234 

Potassium  Permanganate,  by  Dr.  George  M.  Sternberg        .        .        .        .18 

action  of,  on  bacilli  anthracis       ....       20 

as  a  disinfectant 21 

in  the  destruction  of  micrococci  of  pus        .         .       19 

disinfection  of  feces 86 

Practical  Experiments  on  the  Sterilization  of  Feces,  by  Dr.  George 

M.  Sternberg 83 

Practical  Experiments  with  Moist  Heat  (Steam  under  Pressure) 

as  a  Disinfectant,  by  Dr.  S.  H.  Durgin 115 

Privy  vaults,  disinfection  of 240 

Prudden,  Dr.  T.  M.,  quoted  or  mentioned 149 

Ptomaines,  by  Dr.  Victor  C.Vaughan  .         . 177 

how  to  avoid  being  poisoned  with 207 

in  certain  diseases 202 


264  INDEX. 

Ptomaines,  poisonous,  in  foods 185 

qualities  relating  to 178 

various,  determined 184 

Pus,  micrococci  of,  destroyed  by  permanganate  of  potassium 19 

Putrefaction,  poisonous  products  of 178 

Q 

Quarantine  requirements  in  Louisiana 231 

stations  of  Louisiana,  Map  of    .         , 216 

Quarantine  System  of  Louisiana— Methods  of  Disinfection  Prac- 
tised, by  Dr.  Joseph  Holt      215 

R 

Rags,  disinfection  of •        •     235 

experiments  in .116 

Railway  cars,  disinfection  of 235 

Raymond,  Dr.  J.  H.,  quoted  or  mentioned 10,  58,  88,  117 

experiments  on  burning  sulphur  in  closed  rooms  under  the 

direction  of 68 

on  experiments  with  sulphurous  acid  gas  ....      65 

Rinderpest,  infectious  material  of,  destroyed  by  heat 147 

Rohe,  Dr.  George  H.,  quoted  or  mentioned 6,  81,  88,  138,  146 

on  apparatus  for  the  application  of  dry  and  moist  heat  in  dis- 
infection       89 

chlorine,  bromine,  and  iodine 23 

dry  heat 77 

methods  of  practical  disinfection 208 

zinc  chloride 4° 

Rooms,  experiments  in  disinfecting,  with  sulphur        .         .        .         .         .         .         •       7° 


Sanitas ll 

Sarcinae *33 

action  of  heat  upon I46 

Sausage  poisoning J88 

symptoms  in I9° 

poisonous         .        .        .        •        .        .        •        •        •        •        •        ...     178 

Sepsin lSl 

Sheep-pox,  infectious  material  of,  destroyed  by  fire     .        .  .        .        .        .147 

Ships,  disinfection  of 235 

bilge  of 213 

with  bichloride  of  mercury 218 

Sick-room,  disinfection  of  the 234,  239 

Smart,  Dr.  Charles,  quoted  or  mentioned 26,  88 

on  carbolic  acid 26 

the  disinfectant  properties  of  putrefactive  products       .        .      82 

Smith,  Dr.  William  M.,  quoted  or  mentioned 5^»  TI7 

Soda,  bisulphite  of,  as  a  germicide 77 

hypochlorite  of,  as  an  oxydizing  disinfectant 46 

Sodium  hyposulphite,  as  a  disinfectant 77 

sulphite,  as  a  disinfectant 77 

Spores,  various,  action  of  calcium  oxide  upon 17 l 

carbolic  acid  upon ^3 

sulphate  of  copper  upon 168 

experiments  upon,  with  heat       .  I37~1 49 

Stables,  disinfection  of 2I3 


INDEX.  265 

Staphylococcus  pyogenes  albus 131,  145 

aureus 129,  145 

citreus 130,  145 

Steam  disinfecting  apparatus  [see  disinfector,  steam]. 

Steam  as  a  disinfector 115 

Sternberg,  Dr.  George  M.,  quoted  or  mentioned       14,  24,  26,  29,  32,  33,  35,  36,  40,  49,  54 

65,  67,  88,  194,  203,  218 
on  commercial  disinfectants  No.  1  and  No.  2  .        .        .  8,  16 

hydrogen  peroxide 21 

mercuric  chloride 41 

moist  heat 80 

potassium  permanganate 18 

practical  experiments  in  the  sterilization  of  feces        .      83 

sulphites 77 

sulphur  dioxide 52 

the  comparative  antiseptic  value  of  the  salts  and  oxides 

of  mercury 51 

the  metallic  sulphates 38 

"  Wither's  Antizymotic  Solution"        ....       17 

Stove,  a  disinfecting 208 

Streptococcus  erysipelatos 131,  145 

Sulphates,  metallic,  as  disinfectants 38 

Sulphites,  by  Dr.  George  M.  Sternberg 77 

Sulphur  Dioxide,  by  Dr.  George  M.  Sternberg 52 

Sulphur,  disinfection  of  rooms  with 70 

with 52-77 

Sulphurous  acid  gas,  as  a  disinfectant 52 

results  of  experiments  with,  upon  various  germs      ...      67 

Swine  plague,  action  of  acids  upon 88 

micrococci  of,  action  of  heat  upon 80 

T 

Tar-acid  disinfectants,  various 11 

Tetanus,  micro-organisms  in 204 

ptomaines  in •  204 

The  Comparative  Antiseptic  Value  of  the  Salts  and  Oxides  of 

Mercury,  by  Dr.  George  M.  Sternberg 51 

The  Metallic  Sulphates,  by  Dr.  George  M.  Sternberg 38 

Thermometer,  new  electrical  registering 211 

Trichlorphenol 164 

Tubercular  sputa,  action  of  carbolic  acid  upon 30,  32 

chlorinated  atmosphere  upon 24 

experiments  upon  the  disinfection  of 46 

virus,  action  of  certain  acids  upon 83 

Tuberculosis,  discharges  of,  disinfection  of 84 

Typhoid  fever,  bacilli  of 123,  177 

action  of  calcium  oxide  upon 169 

carbolic  acid  upon 162 

cold  upon 150 

heat  upon 140 

mercuric  chloride  upon 159 

sulphate  of  copper  upon 167 

and  ptomaines       .         . 205 

destroyed  by  chloride  of  lime 154 

results  of  alternate  freezing  and  thawing  of         .        .        .150 


266  INDEX. 

Typhoid  fever,  delirium,  possibly  from  ptomaines 181 

discharges,  disinfection  of 84,  156 

Tyrotoxicon 195 

experiments  with 200 


in 


cheese 


195 


cholera  infantum 206 

ice-cream 200 

milk 196 

Vaccine  virus,  action  of  carbolic  acid  upon 28 

chlorine  upon 24 

corrosive  sublimate  upon 45 

heat  upon 146 

nitrous  acid  upon ".        -35 

sulphurous  acid  upon 66 

various  chemicals  upon 34 

as  a  test  of  disinfecting  power 53 

effect  of  heat  upon 78 

Vaughan,  Dr.  Victor  C,  quoted  or  mentioned     .        .        .  ♦ 194 

on  considerations  concerning  the  practical  use  of  mercuric 

chloride  as  a  disinfectant 47 

disinfection  with  mineral  acids 33 

ptomaines        .        .        . 177 

Vessels,  special  suggestions  to  owners,  agents,  etc 231 

W 

Wood,  disinfection  of 234 

Z 

Zinc,  bisulphate  of,  as  a  germicide yy 

Zinc  Chloride,  by  George  H.  Rohe 40 

action  of,  upon  bacilli  anthracis  and  other  micro-organisms        .  40 

sulphate,  an  unreliable  germicide 39 


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